Luke Humphries reckons Luke Littler should be hailed and not hounded as he has shot down claims the pair were not a team at the World Cup team . Cool Hand gave his final insight into the England darts debacle during his preparations for the US Darts Masters in New York’s Madison Square Gardens. Humphries and Littler were caned following their shock first-hurdle exit and the fall-out was seismic with accusations of the pair not being unified. The World No.1 reckons that was simply not the case and also supported Littler after he was hammered by German fans and the pair were booed. Littler鈥檚 experience was miserable and, when Humphries was asked if it might the World Champion off returning for future World Cups, he told Online Darts: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know. You鈥檇 have to ask him. “I think it鈥檚 so prestigious that he would [play]. That鈥檚 not for me to answer. It wasn鈥檛 a nice environment for him. “I don鈥檛 think he enjoyed it, but you need to cut him a bit of slack. He鈥檚 a great pioneer for the sport. I think we should celebrate him more, rather than booing and whistling.鈥 Humphries hit back at the non-team accusations and added: 鈥淚 knew when we lost it was going to be big news, but a lot of people forget it never once came out of mine and Luke鈥檚 mouth we were going to win it with ease. “That was everyone else. We are not silly. Got a bit gutting to see so many English fans happy to see us lose. The Germans would never be against their own players. “It was incredibly tough environment to be involved in. I could tell by Luke鈥檚 face he didn鈥檛 enjoy it. I kind of relished it, but he鈥檚 still young to that. “It seems to have carried on a lot. There was a lot of talk about me and Luke not being a team. Coming from the horse鈥檚 mouth, I can assure you we were a team. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 arrive at the same time because I said not to. I told Luke: Do your own thing. He gets there two hours before, I get there four. “I need more practice, he doesn鈥檛. I said to Luke just do what you do, don鈥檛 change for me. We sat right next by each other. He sat right beside me. So that stuff about not being a team was not true. “We get along really well. It just didn鈥檛 happen and that鈥檚 it. That was the whole agreement. We didn鈥檛 play horrifically, it just wasn鈥檛 our best.鈥 Humphries aims to get back to his best in New York and said: 鈥淚鈥檓 putting that defeat behind me straight away. It鈥檚 not something I am going to dwell on. “I鈥檝e won so many tournaments and I have won the World Cup before myself. It just did not happen for me and Luke. It was a tournament that disappointed us both, but we are happy to put it behind us both and move on to the next one. It was never going to be handed to us. The Germans put in a great performance and deserved the win. “We are over that now and onto the next one. I鈥檓 sure Luke will be the same and fully focused on winning the title this weekend.鈥 Madison Square Gardens hosts the event and Humphries added: 鈥淚t鈥檚 an iconic venue. I obviously look forward to playing here more than any other venue in the World Series. This one is really special. It is iconic. For me to put my name on that trophy it would mean a lot to me. 鈥淚t鈥檚 one that I am desperate to win. Hopefully I can tick another thing off the CV that I have always dreamed of doing. This is the hardest field we have had to play in the US Darts Masters yet. “I feel like all the players here are of a good calibre. They will test us. I鈥檓 expecting there will be a few shocks to be honest. I think there is the capability of some American players to win. So, I won鈥檛 be resting on my laurels. I will make sure I am at my best in the first-round game.鈥