England, as a unit, has done an outstanding job over the last three-and-a-half years. The all-round show has revealed how players have had backed each other in testing times. The Three Lions are ready for the home-bound 2019 World Cup. Recently, former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting believes Jos Buttler is crucial for England’s World Cup campaign. The mega ICC event will begin on May 30 at Kennington Oval in London.
While hailing Buttler as a dangerous player, Ponting stated that the development of wicketkeeper-batsman over the years has been phenomenal.
England has a batting depth: Ricky Ponting
Meanwhile, England boats about a strong 15-man squad for the 2019 World Cup which the ECB has recently finalised following some tough decision at the table. He added the Three Lions’ strength is their batting.
“I think England’s great strength right now in their One-Day team is how deep they bat. That allows all their top-order to play probably with more freedom than most other teams,” Ponting told Cricket Australia (CA) digital.
The assistant coach for Australia Ponting maintained Buttler had done exceedingly well across formats. Subsequently, it makes Buttler a threat for many in the international cricket set-up.
“What he has done in the last 12 to 18 months whether in a T20, One-Day game or a Test match for England, it’s really outstanding. So, Jos Buttler is England’s dangerman for me,” Ponting added.
Ponting stated England have depth in their batting line-up. He pointed out that while playing at home, this will somewhat allow them to dominate the proceedings.
“Someone like a Buttler or (Ben) Stokes or Moeen Ali coming in at 7, 8, 9, allows their top-order to go hard. They are a really confident outfit. They have got great depth in their squad and obviously would be playing in conditions they are very much used to,” Ponting ellaborated.
‘Dangerman’ Buttler at the 2019 World Cup:
While watching Buttler on close quarters, Ponting handpicked him as the prominent face in England’s camp for the World Cup. Ponting revealed he had worked alongside Buttler when the hard-hitting sensation represented Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Mumbai Indians (MI). Concurrently, Buttler is the part of Rajasthan Royals (RR).
“The dangerman for England is gonna be Jos Buttler. I just watched him develop over the last 2 or 3 years. I had a chance to coach him at Mumbai Indians 3 or 4 seasons ago when he was really sort of starting to make his mark in international cricket,” he added.
The two-time winning skipper Ponting has credited Buttler’s approach of playing all along with the dial. He cited Buttler might not don the gloves, but he has been an exception as a middle-order batsman.
“He (Buttler) might not take the gloves but his middle-order batting is out of this world. Buttler scores 360 degrees around the ground, hits the ball incredibly hard, hits the ball a long way as well,” Ponting said.
With England having the most number of match-winners, they are also seen as firm favourites to lift their maiden title. Recently, England has thrashed Pakistan by 4-0 in the five-match ODI series.