Follow UsEngland's new white-ball captain Jos Buttler told his team not to be afraid of committing mistakes after the second T20I loss against India, head coach Matthew Mott revealed on Monday. As a result, the home team batted with freedom in the third T20I on Sunday where they scored 215/8 in 20 overs, their highest T20I total since 2020.
Mott said that his team were surprised by the intensity of India's aggressive style in the series which they lost 1-2.
"We learned a lot of lessons in the first two games. India obviously came out with a really attacking mindset and put us under pressure a lot. We expected that, but the ferocity of it took us by surprise a little bit," Mott said ahead of the first ODI at The Oval.
Mott spoke about the pep talk Buttler gave his team which motivated them to play well in the final T20I which they won by 17 runs despite Suryakumar Yadav's superb 117.
"After the second loss and the series loss, I thought he spoke exceptionally well in the group about these being the times where you learn about character."
"We talked about just being a bit braver. If anything, we could have been accused of being a bit timid with the bat. We just went out there (in the third T20I) and thought, 'it's a great wicket, let's put a score out there and hang on.' We don't like losing but I think there is plenty that we've taken out of this series already and it sets us up well for the summer," Mott added.
With multiple injuries and back to back Tests matches against New Zealand and India, England were without their stars for the T20I series. Mott said that the squad for the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia is yet to be figured out.
"I don't think is all locked in yet. This far out, you've got so many things that could happen - whether it's injuries or form, or whatever. We've got a fair idea of what we think the right make-up is, but you want players to come in and perform and really warrant that spot. It's still open for a lot of players and that's why we are having looks at different combinations and trying to learn," Mott said.
Mott, who is on his first assignment as England's white-ball coach welcomed Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Craig Overton and Ben Stokes to the ODI side.
"They're obviously world-class players. As a coach, it's a great opportunity to learn from probably some of the best players in this format of all-time. They'll bring some energy into the group and they're really excited to be there. I don't think they'll have to change a hell of a lot from the way they've been playing but it's a slightly different format. They come in pretty hot and we're straight into it: that's the modern game. We'll see how everyone pulls up," Mott said.