Jos Buttler, England’s white-ball captain, has revealed his top five players for his World Cup XI in anticipation of the 2023 tournament. Buttler’s selections include a fellow teammate and a seasoned Indian batsman. Buttler’s initial pick is Adil Rashid, England’s primary leg-spinner. Rashid has had a solid performance this year, securing 15 wickets in seven ODIs. As the defending champions, England will rely on him to take crucial wickets during the middle overs, especially on spin-friendly pitches.
The 33-year-old selected South Africa’s Quinton de Kock as the next player in his World Cup XI. De Kock, who is planning to retire from ODIs after the upcoming event, has had a reasonable year with the bat. He accumulated 343 runs in 10 matches at an average of 34.30. However, South Africa will require more consistent performances from him as an opener if they aspire to win the tournament. Buttler continued by including India’s captain, Rohit Sharma, in his World Cup XI. Rohit is widely expected to amass a significant number of runs in the tournament.
He was the top run-scorer in the 2019 World Cup with 648 runs and has had an impressive 2023 in ODIs, accumulating 658 runs in 16 matches at an average of 50.62, including six half-centuries and a century. Buttler’s list also features Glenn Maxwell, known for his ability to influence games in various ways. The 34-year-old made a successful comeback from injury and guided Australia to victory over India with his four-wicket performance in the final ODI of the recently concluded three-match series in Rajkot.
Buttler concluded his list by including Anrich Nortje, despite the fact that Nortje will miss his second consecutive World Cup this year. The right-arm fast bowler has taken eight wickets in five ODIs this year at an average of 29.25.
“We do not consider ourselves defending champions”- Jos Buttler
In a recent interview with The Telegraph, the wicketkeeper-batsman mentioned that while India is the top pick to win the trophy on their home turf, England also has a strong opportunity.
“Going to a World Cup in India, I think India are quite clear favourites if you had to pick. We go as a good side looking to win the World Cup, we don’t have any thoughts of being defending champions. It’s a new tournament and we will try to take it game by game and go all the way. We know we’re a good team with a chance.”
The 2023 World Cup will commence on October 5, with England facing New Zealand in the opening match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
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