England skipper Jos Buttler has downplayed the expectations of England coming into the ODI World Cup to defend the title after winning it in 2019 on their home soil. Buttler wants to approach the competition fresh like the other nine nations. The defending champions England are taking on New Zealand in their World Cup opener on Thursday in Ahmedabad.
After a disappointing showing at the 2015 World Cup, England has improved significantly in the white format of the game. They added a lot of firepower to their batting and bowling lineups, which ultimately helped the team win the tournament the last time they played on home soil. They will have a difficult time defending themselves in subcontinental circumstances.
Speaking to the media ahead of the clash against New Zealand, Jos Buttler wants to keep focus solely on the forthcoming ODI World Cup, as he didn’t want to look back at the past and wants to create something new in the mega event in India.
“We’re not trying to defend anything, We’re trying to go there and win a World Cup. We’re in exactly the same position as every other team.”
“For me, the past is in the past, You can’t recreate something, or hold onto it forever. It’s all about something new. It’s fantastic to be champions and the reigning champions, and I won’t say we’ve left that behind completely because it’s a nice place to be. But I do feel like you’ve given that trophy back now. It’s done. It’s about trying to create something new,” Jos Buttler said.
The defending champions will walk in as one of the favourites to win the
ODI World Cup in India, as the English side has high-quality players in their squad for the marquee event in India and most of their players have an ample amount of experience playing in Indian conditions.
We Must Be Hungry To Try To Do It Again – Jos Buttler
Jos Buttler believes that it is important to be hungry to do well in the World Cup and feels that it is good to have some championship behind them and reckons that it is important to bring in their experience in the marquee event.
“We must be hungry to try to do it again and try to be focused on something different. Stuff in the past can be nice reference points: you talk about experience, and I never believed in it as a young player. I thought you could either do it, or you couldn’t. But certainly now, as an older player, there are times that things happen and they are nice to refer back to,” Jos Buttler added.
Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, and Jonny Bairstow have a wealth of experience playing in the Indian conditions over the last few years and they will use their experience to make an impactful performance for the team in the ongoing ODI World Cup.
