LITTLER AND HUMPHRIES FACE CHEMISTRY QUESTION MARK

PAUL NICHOLSON has questioned whether Luke Humphries and Luke Littler are the perfect partnership for England.

‘Cool Hand’ and world No.1 Littler head to Frankfurt this week as top seeds for the World Cup of Darts after suffering a shock second-round exit 12 months ago.

The lethal Lukes were dumped out 8-4 by home duo Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko in front of a hostile German crowd.

And while former pro Nicholson expects them to go much deeper this year, he believes there are still question marks over whether they are the ideal doubles combination.

He told Sporting Life: “I think Luke Humphries and Luke Littler will perform much better than they did last year, but I still have questions about whether they’re the perfect partnership.

“Individually, they’re the two best players in the world, but the World Cup isn’t always about putting the two highest-ranked players together and expecting everything to click.

“There is a possibility that England face the same challenge that great football teams sometimes encounter when they try to fit all of their biggest stars into the same side.

“The talent is undeniable, but partnerships are about balance and chemistry as much as ability.

“Humphries has already won this tournament alongside Michael Smith, so we know he can thrive in this environment.

“The question is whether he and Littler can find that same understanding together.”

Nicholson even suggested Littler may have picked a different teammate if given the choice.

He added: “If Littler was able to pick his partner, he’d probably go with Nathan Aspinall just because of who he gets on with most, and that’s an important part of pairs.

“They’re unquestionably one of the strongest teams in the field and I expect them to go deep into the tournament.

“In fact, I can easily see England reaching the final.

“But if I had to pick a winner before a dart is thrown, I’d still side with Northern Ireland to retain the title.”