“I’m not putting the young man down, but..." - Rob Cross plays down Luke Littler comparisons to Taylor & MvG ahead of last 16 Ally Pally showdown

Rob Cross may be flying slightly under the radar at the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship, but his results tell a clear story. A commanding 4-0 win over Damon Heta moved the 2018 world champion another step closer to the business end of the tournament.

He has dropped just one set so far, yet Cross is far from satisfied with his level. “I’m really glad to get through,” he said afterwards. “It gives me another chance and one step closer.”

The performance felt like a confirmation of his approach. “You come here every day, sometimes it’s pretty, sometimes it won’t be,” Cross explained. “Today the big factor was holding myself together at the right times.”

There was no chest beating, no exaggeration. That realism has defined Cross throughout his career, and it remains central to how he views his run so far. “I’ve not played my best in the tournament,” he admitted. “I’ve been clinical in the important moments, and I think that’s important.”

What stands out is how efficiently Cross is getting the job done. “I’m still not at my brilliant best,” he said. “But to still sit here and not be at my best, it says a lot. We’ve got another chance to go out next time and try to put that right.”

Cross is convinced there is more to come. “I know that game’s there,” he explained. “I see it every single day. It’s just not quite happening where I want it to, but at the same time I don’t feel like I’m done or falling away. I’ve got nothing to lose.”

That calm outlook is deliberate. “Life’s easy when it’s not complicated,” he added.

Next up is a heavyweight clash with reigning champion Luke Littler. For many, it is one of the standout ties of the round. For Cross, it is refreshingly pressure free.

“The pressure isn’t on me,” he said. “If Rob Cross loses to Luke Littler, who cares? That’s the norm. So I can go up there, take the shackles off and hopefully get a good tune out of myself.”

The underdog role suits him. “I’ve spent my life on the back foot,” Cross explained. “I know how to battle. I used to get up at half four in the morning and do what I had to do or I didn’t feed my family. That was life for a long time. This is a game of darts.”

That grounding shapes how he approaches big matches. “I’ll get up, go to work,” he said. “All those things I used to moan about years ago might actually help me now.”

Cross repeatedly returned to the idea of simplicity. “I definitely can complicate it for myself,” he admitted. “But when I’m uncomplicated and on one straight road, it feels solid.”

For him, the sport is still brutally straightforward. “You go up there and play darts,” he said. “You might be playing for a million pounds, but even that doesn’t matter. If you win the sets in front of you, there’s no pressure. If I don’t do it, I go home. It’s very clear.”

The name Luke Littler automatically invites comparisons with past greats. Cross knows all about that, having beaten Michael van Gerwen and Phil Taylor on the sport’s biggest stage. But he was careful to frame those comparisons properly.

“I’m not putting the young man down,” Cross said. “The best player I’ve ever played overall is Michael, and Phil Taylor is the greatest for me. If Michael was at his absolute best, it wouldn’t be a runaway.”

Without selling Littler short, Cross is clear: “We’ve seen this kind of dominance before. Taylor did it, Van Gerwen did it. Littler is fantastic, but the game keeps evolving. In a few years, there might be someone else again.”

Notable too is Cross’s admiration for how Littler handles the spotlight. “He’s done that ten times better than I did back then,” Cross admitted. “When I became world champion, everything suddenly changed. Cameras, attention, expectations. It shaped me, but it wasn’t easy.”

Looking back, Cross wouldn’t change a thing. “Everything I’ve been through makes me who I am now,” he said. “You learn to deal with it. It makes you stronger.”

He sees that life experience as a weapon heading into the next round. “I know what winning is, I know what losing is. And I know I’ve got nothing to lose.”

The fact that Cross is playing all his matches in the afternoon session doesn’t seem to bother him. “Put me wherever you want,” he laughed. “In the arena, in the car in the parking lot — I don’t mind. It’s my job.”