Luke Humphries says he and Luke Littler don't need pairs practice ahead of World Cup of Darts: "Me and Michael Smith didn't do that last year"

Luke Humphries has offered a refreshingly honest insight ahead of England’s World Cup of Darts title defence, as he prepares to partner with rising superstar — and fierce rival — Luke Littler.

After last summer’s memorable triumph alongside Michael Smith, Humphries, now the world’s number one, is eyeing back-to-back glory. This time, however, he’ll be teaming up with the teenage phenom who's taken the darts world by storm.
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While the pairing of Humphries and Littler promises fireworks, the reigning World Champion insists their preparation will remain straightforward. "Look, when you've got two of the best players in the world, we're not going to need to start practising together," Humphries told SportsBoom. "Me and Michael Smith didn't do that last year. You don't need to change anything.”

Reflecting on last year’s success, Humphries was full of praise for his former teammate. “Michael Smith was probably the best player I could have played with last year and I was really happy to play with him and that's why I put him first because great scorer, and I’ll do the same with Luke this year," explains the world number one.

"He's the best scorer in the world," Humphries adds on Littler. "Heavy scorer. I'll do the same, but we'll work hard and make sure that we play as a team and not singular and we'll be fine.”

Some have questioned whether the rivalry between Humphries and Littler — who’ve contested several major finals this year — might pose a challenge for team chemistry. Humphries, though, isn’t concerned, although he admits there is added pressure for the England team. But when it comes to handling pressure, few are more composed than Humphries.

"There'll be pressure on our shoulders of course. But what do you think me and Luke do? We thrive on pressure," he insists. “We are involved in the biggest finals in the world. World finals, Premier League finals, Matchplay finals. It's not going to be any different. I'm not going to look into it thinking we're under pressure, we've got to win. We don't think we've got to win, but we know we can win. That's the most important thing.”