Arrows and Ashes

Simon Whitlock says things are going to get better for Australian sports fans in the next few weeks.

Wizard is eyeing glory for himself and Australia's cricketers

It hasn't been a great few weeks if you're an Australian sports fan... Their rugby team were humbled by England at Twickenham, the football association only polled one vote for their 2022 World Cup bid and then, of course, there's the small matter of an embarrassing innings and 71 runs defeat in the second Ashes Test. One man hoping to put a few smiles back on Antipodean faces is Simon Whitlock, the Wizard of Oz, who is among the favourites to win this year's World Darts Championship. The world number four was the talk of last year's event as he made it all the way to the final before losing to Phil Taylor - and he's hoping to go one better this time around. Sky Sports viewers will be able to enjoy coverage of the tournament when it kicks off on Thursday evening - and you can stay tuned throughout the night for live coverage of the third Ashes Test. While Whitlock's own commitments will prevent him from watching the cricket, he says he'll be following developments in Perth closely. And he's grateful that he hasn't been getting too much stick from the English darts players about Australia's poor performances so far. "I'm a big cricket fan and a proud Aussie," Whitlock told skysports.com. "I loved to watch Allan Border, Steve Waugh, Brett Lee, Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath. They were my favourite players. "But I haven't been able to watch much this year, which is a bit disappointing. "There's been a bit of banter with the other players here or there, but it's not too bad really. "It doesn't matter where we're from; we all just respect each other as darts players."

Fight

Whitlock used to open the bowling for a cricket team at his home near New South Wales and says the international side will not give up their Ashes chances easily. He says it's part of the nation's character to fight back from disappointments and he has applied the same mentality to his own sport. He hopes to give his country some cause for celebration at Alexandra Palace over the next few weeks and his message for Ricky Ponting is simple: don't give up. "All I'd say is we need to be like we've always been," Whitlock continued. "Us Aussies always fight and I'm sure they'll come out fighting in the next Test match. "When you go behind it just makes you fight harder. When I'm 1-0 up in a match I relax a bit more and let my darts flow, but when I'm behind you push a little bit harder and try to fight. "If Australia lose the Ashes and I win the darts it'll be interesting to see what reaction I get. It probably won't make up for it in Australia."

Showdown

Whitlock kicks off his World Championship campaign against Steve Evans on Saturday night and says he won't be satisfied with anything less than a place in the last four. Having been placed in the same side of the draw as Taylor, he could be in line for a semi-final showdown against the world number one And while he admits there will be more attention and pressure on him this year - he wasn't even seeded last time - he feels he has what it takes to go all the way, even if that means needing to beat the 15-time world champion. He said: "I'm hoping for a good one again this year. I think it will probably be a bit harder with the expectations and that, but I'll do everything the same way. "I've been working hard on my game recently and my form is very good at the moment. "I'm going there to win, of course I am, but I'd be disappointed if I didn't get to at least the semis. I'm planning on meeting Phil in the last four so I'd be disappointed if I didn't get that far. "It's all about preparation on the day. I've got a stronger head than last year and I've beaten Phil a couple of times this year, so I'm feeling pretty good about playing against him and everyone else."

Lucrative

Whitlock says that last year's fairytale run, which included wins over Raymond van Barneveld, James Wade and Terry Jenkins, was life changing. He was handed a wildcard into the lucrative Premier League tournament and attracted enough sponsorship to move to the UK and play full time on the PDC tour. And he says that spending 2010 playing darts across Europe has been full of magical moments - even if the climate is a bit cooler than he is used to! "I've had lots of highlights," he said. "Beating Phil in the final in the Irish Masters was a good one for me and Austria was a big highlight when I won the first day and then I played Phil in the final on the second day and threw a nine-darter against him. That was a big highlight. Pretty much the whole the year really. "I've learned about the players, that's probably the biggest thing, and a little bit about myself, how well I can actually play. "I've played the best darts of my career this year, for sure, and I've had to in order to win. "I've enjoyed every minute of it. This is what I've wanted to do all my life, play darts professionally, and now I'm doing it. "It's a bit cold here, that's a bit of a shock, but it's not too bad!"