England traveled to the Middle East on Monday with the aim of adding the T20 crown to the over 50 title they won in 2019; Jos Buttler: “I know we miss Ben and Jofra, who are two superstars of the game, but I keep looking at that list and I see some real match winners.”
Jos Buttler is part of the England squad with the goal of becoming double world champion
Jos Buttler is confident that England will leave for the Twenty20 World Cup firmly among the favorites, despite the absence of “superstars” Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer.
England will fly to Oman on Monday, where it will complete a mandatory quarantine period before heading to its tournament base in Dubai next Saturday.
When England got the 50+ crown at Lord’s in 2019, Buttler, Stokes and Archer were the men who gave birth to their country when the pressure was on the rise.
As well as standing out during the final against New Zealand, the trio were called upon to resolve an unprecedented ‘super over’, with Stokes and Buttler batting in the decisive six-ball game and Archer chosen as the pitcher to close it out.
But with Stokes on a prolonged hiatus due to mental health issues and Archer recovering from a long-term elbow injury, England’s hopes of becoming the first men’s team to have both trophies limited at the same time have been lowered.
Buttler, however, is optimistic about the prospects for an unprecedented double.
“I think we are definitely one of the favorite teams. I know we miss Ben and Jofra, who are two superstars of the game, but I still look at that list and see some real match winners on our side,” he said. said.
“I think any side of the world would miss those guys, but I’m very excited about the team that we have.
“There are other great teams around, India is always strong, the West Indies have a lot of T20 cricket experience and a lot of six-hitting ability, but we are a really good team.
“We will be very focused on ourselves, playing the best we can, and if we do, I think we will go a long way. Becoming doubles world champions would be a great achievement and it won’t be easy.” I think we all get it. “
In the absence of Stokes and Archer, England head coach Chris Silverwood could find himself relying on two players who were firmly on the periphery of the setup 12 months ago to add some ‘X factor’ to a family unit.
Liam Livingstone has seen his stock skyrocket recently, with his fearless ball hit quickly emerging as the number one attraction in The Hundred’s first season before hitting England’s fastest international century in July: a 42-ball blitz against Pakistan.
Meanwhile, Archer’s place has been picked up by his Sussex teammate Tymal Mills, another success story about The Hundred with Southern Brave, and a death-bowling specialist who last played for England in 2016.
“Liam had a fantastic summer,” Buttler said. “The century against Pakistan and The Hundred – he was the poster boy for that – so he will enter the tournament full of confidence.
“We have several match winners and Liam is another one. I enjoyed watching The Hundred and it was great to see Tymal performing.
“We have seen him before in an England jersey and it is a fantastic story for him to be back now at a World Cup.
“He’s got that left arm angle, extreme pace and a nice slower ball, so he’s a great guy to have on your team and someone who can pose a lot of problems.”
England will begin their campaign on October 23 against the West Indies and also share a group with Australia, South Africa and two first-round ties.
Watch the Twenty20 World Cup live on Sky Sports starting October 18.
