NEWS
Follow UsEngland captain Jos Buttler has asserted that the Three Lions’ horror showing in the World Cup has had no bearing on their preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup, claiming that his side will begin with a clean slate, having ‘moved on’ from the 50-over World Cup disappointment.
England entered the 50-over World Cup in India last September as defending champions but had a tournament to forget, finishing seventh on the table behind Pakistan and Afghanistan. The tournament was supposed to be a memorable swansong for some of the senior players but it instead ended up turning into a nightmare.
Buttler admitted that the 50-over World Cup showing dented the Three Lions’ pride, but insisted that the team has moved on and is ready to start a fresh chapter.
"It's a chapter in the book. It was obviously a really disappointing World Cup, and your pride's dented, your confidence gets dented a bit, but time moves on and there's a really exciting opportunity now,” Buttler told Sky Sports.
Buttler spoke highly of the young group he has at his disposal for the forthcoming T20 World Cup. Unlike the 50-over World Cup, which had several seniors on their last legs, this English group for the T20WC is filled with promising young stars such as Will Jacks, Phil Salt and Harry Brook.
"I think we've got a really nice, blended squad, actually. We've got a lot of experience but some guys who are really on the upward curve with the likes of Phil Salt, Will Jacks," Buttler said.
"Harry Brook is still very early in his international career and those guys I really see trending in the right direction and pushing this team forward."
Buttler revealed that, despite the 50-over World Cup disappointment, he was ‘always going to come back’ and lead England in the T20WC. The 33-year-old said that the communication between him and Rob Key, managing director of England cricket, was always clear.
"My first priority at the moment is being England captain and trying to prepare as best we can for a world tournament, so I always said to Rob (Key) I would definitely be coming back as England captain, and he's made the call on the rest of the players."
Buttler described the buildup for the T20WC as ‘unique’, considering the team is playing four T20Is at home against Pakistan before flying out to the Caribbean for the mega event. The first T20I at Headingley was washed out, but there are still three matches available for the Three Lions players to gel ahead of the T20WC.
"Everyone was really excited for this series. Putting the England kit back on and playing cricket in England is amazing so it's really disappointing today not to be playing but three matches still to look forward to," Buttler said.
"It's a unique build up. I think that's why we felt it was good to get the players all together in this series.”
