Pune (Maharashtra) [India] : Following England’s 160-run win against the Netherlands in the 40th match of the ODI World Cup 2023 at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Wednesday, Jos Buttler said that it’s been a frustrating time and delighted with the win today.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Buttler praised Dawid Malan and said that he got England to a good start in the game.
“It’s been a frustrating time, not winning the games of cricket or playing as well as we’d like, so yeah, delighted with the win today. I thought Malan got us off to a great start and then the partnership from Stokes and Woakes was brilliant to get us up to a really good score,” Buttler said.
Talking about Ben Stokes’ 108-run knock, Buttler said that he managed lots of different situations for England and played a strong partnership with Chris Woakes.
“It’s a vital inning. He managed lots of different situations throughout it really, really well. And his partnership with Chris Woakes was brilliant to get us up to a really good score. And we took that momentum into the bowling innings. I thought Woakes and Willey started really well,” he added.
When asked about England’s poor performance at the ongoing ODI World Cup, he added that all the players have been frustrated but they still stayed tight.
“I think everyone’s been frustrated, but the guys have stayed tight, everyone’s stayed really close and kept working hard. I think if you watched training yesterday, the guys probably trained as hard as they trained all trip, which shows the level of commitment and desire to put things right, don’t get to the level of player that we’ve got in the squad without having that personal pride and work ethic and determination to put things right when they’re not going the way you want,” he added.
“I guess we just hung in there and trusted ourselves and put trust in the guys that at some point the wheel will turn. Keep trying to deliver the same messages and play committed to the style we want to,” he further added.
Buttler added that they haven’t performed consistently enough throughout the tournament.
“As I said, we got off to a really good start today, but it’s something that’s been a hallmark of the team. So that was crucial. And then handling pressure and coming out the other way, which Stokes and Woakes did brilliantly well in that partnership. So, there are things we haven’t done consistently enough throughout the tournament. But at some point, top players will get it right,” he added.