Adrian Lewis ready for Premier League

Adrian Lewis has insisted that playing in last week's PDC World Cup of Darts was ideal preparation for him ahead of the start of his Premier League campaign.

The two-time world champion partnered Phil Taylor as England retained their World Cup trophy last weekend and after playing below-par during the early rounds of the tournament, Lewis has admitted that his performance in the final has prepared him for his opening match with Simon Whitlock.

Lewis told PDC.TV: "Playing in the World Cup was great for me. We had plenty of games during the weekend and that was good for my game. I didn't start brilliantly and I had to improve - I felt like I was letting Phil down and the harder I tried, the worse it got.

"Eventually, I relaxed and I ended up with a 105 average against Ronny Huybrechts in the final, so it came together in the end.

"It's going to be a tough game for me against Simon on Thursday, but I think I'm in good shape."

The 10-man tournament kicks off in Belfast on Thursday night.