England will commence their quest to defend the ODI World Cup title by facing New Zealand on Thursday, October 5 in Ahmedabad. With Eoin Morgan’s remarkable leadership, England secured their first 50-over World Cup.
Fast forward four years, Jos Buttler will take the reins, aiming to achieve a rare feat, becoming the third team, following the West Indies and Australia, to successfully defend their World Cup title.
Following a 3-1 victory over New Zealand in a recent ODI series on home turf, Buttler expressed his disapproval of labeling his team as the ‘defending champions.’ He believes his team is on equal footing with the others, starting anew in the tournament.
“We’re not trying to defend anything. As We’re trying to go there and win a World Cup. We’re in exactly the same position as every other team”.
The charismatic wicketkeeper-batter made this statement after clinching the series win against New Zealand. He reaffirmed this perspective on the eve of England’s first match against the Blackcaps.
“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.”
”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,” Buttler said to ESPNcricinfo.
“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,” Buttler added.
While England is considered one of the top contenders in the tournament, Buttler’s approach is to take each match one at a time and concentrate on the present.
Watch: Jos Buttler’s witty response to a funny ‘Broad and Anderson’ question
https://x.com/pantiyerfc/status/1709558645346972127?s=46
England heads to an ODI World Cup as defending champions, but captain Jos Buttler doesn’t prefer that title. He believes England is in the same position as every other team.
However, England is among the favourites due to their white-ball success in recent years, including the twin trophy wins in ODI and T20 World Cup in 2022. They will open their campaign against New Zealand, the team they beat to claim the title four years ago.
Buttler faced an ill-researched question about the absence of James Anderson and Stuart Broad, both of whom have shifted focus to Test cricket.
If Buttler can sustain his composure throughout the lengthy tournament and guide England successfully through matches against other title favorites, they have a good chance of retaining the trophy.
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