James Wade is out of the Premier League after three days in hospital

A mysterious illness led to James Wade being taken to a German hospital and forced to withdraw from the European Darts Open and he has since been ruled out of an upcoming Premier League event

James Wade was banned from attending the Cazoo Premier League in Sheffield on Thursday after spending three nights in hospital.

At the European Open in Leverkusen, the “machine” fell ill with heart palpitations, dizziness and nausea. Wade, 39, was treated by German paramedics at the venue before being taken to hospital for tests and observation.

Despite the world No. 5 returning to Aldershot yesterday, he will not play in the Premier League on medical advice – where he is well placed to reach the play-offs in Berlin next month. His absence means Masters champion Joe Cullen gets a bye to Thursday’s second round of action at the Utilita Arena.

“I want to thank all the medical staff for their care over the past few days and also all the fans around the world who have sent messages of support,” Wade said. “Now that I’m home I will take my time to fully recover before I can play again when the time is right.”

The 2009 Premier League champion sits third in the Premier League standings after winning events in Manchester and Dublin. The top four finishers will advance in the competition, with only three events remaining until the play-offs begin on June 13 in Berlin.

As well as missing Thursday’s Premier League event in Sheffield, Wade’s recovery streak will almost definitely rule him out of this weekend’s European Tour duties. The Czech Darts Open starts on Friday in Prague and runs until Sunday.

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Wade was expected to face Dmitri van den Bergh in last weekend’s European Open semi-finals before his retirement. His Belgian opponent met Michael van Gerwen in the decisive set, where he lost 8:5.

His wife Samantha will be particularly happy to have The Machine home as she awaits the couple’s second child. The couple welcomed their first child — a son, Arthur — in October 2018, which will no doubt have influenced her responsibilities as Wade’s manager.

Darts fans will be excited for the return of one of the sport’s most revered figures. Partner Sammi said the veteran was “desperate to make sure he doesn’t let anyone down” and wants to pay back fans who have already bought tickets for upcoming shows.