Jos Buttler will be the key player for England as they look to retain their T20 World Cup trophy.
The England captain is regarded as the modern generation’s most explosive and creative T20 player.
England lost to Australia on the weekend and had their game against Scotland rained off. They need to win their remaining games to have any hope of going further in the tournament.
Buttler has to change his batting
Jos Buttler has to adapt to the game situation. T20 batting isn’t all about smashing every ball for six. Due to the nature of the pitch, teams are sometimes forced to defend. With explosive batsmen like Phil Salt and Will Jacks and a powerful batting line-up, Buttler should play the anchor role in the side.
Whilst the anchor role isn’t as prevalent in T20 cricket. An experienced player like Jos Buttler should bat sensibly and allow the top and middle order to score the bulk of the runs. This includes rotating the strike and letting players like Jacks, Brook and Bairstow take the attack to the bowlers. This is similar to how India plays as Virat Kohli lays the foundation for India with his no-risk batting. Crucially, this allows the middle order to attack at the end of the innings.
Jos Buttler’s dismissal against Australia was a poor one, to say the very least. Having hit a huge six the ball before, the England holed out the next ball. Australia went on to win by 36 runs as England remained towards the bottom of Group B. It was a careless shot and firmly pressured England’s middle order to see their side through.
If Buttler is able to bat out an entire twenty overs, his explosiveness at the back end of an innings could really help England impose game-winning totals. The Lancashire player is part of a select group of England players who have scored a century in each format for the Three Lions.
Pressure on Buttler and Matthew Mott as England remain favourites
Given the vast amount of experience, this England side has in their batting and bowling line-up. It’s no surprise they are favourites to retain their trophy. However, with England currently 4th in Group B, they would need to commandingly win all their remaining games.
Crucially, Jos Buttler was in charge when England capitulated in their defence of their One Day International trophy when they were knocked out of the group stages in India. Another early exit in this World Cup could spell the end of Buttler’s reign as England’s white-ball captain.
Meanwhile, in their remaining games, England faces Namibia and Oman, arguably the easiest teams they could face, as the teams are currently 13th and 19th in the T20 rankings, respectively. A win against these teams and Australia beating Scotland would see England progress to the next stage of the tournament. Jos Buttler’s captaincy could depend on how this title defence plays out in the West Indies.
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