Captain Jos Buttler Reflects on England’s Semi-Final Exit at the T20 World Cup

Captain Jos Buttler has vowed that England will “review everything” following their unexpected semi-final exit from the T20 World Cup. The defending champions were bowled out for a mere 103 runs by India in Guyana, suffering a heavy 68-run defeat.

This recent loss marks the second world title England has relinquished in just eight months, following last year’s unsuccessful defense of the 50-over World Cup.

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Reflecting on the tournament, Buttler emphasized the importance of a thorough review. “You take some time to review tournaments and try to plan ahead for the next tournaments,” he said. “We have to review what we need to do better as a team, if that is the way we play, personnel, style of cricket. We will review everything and come up with a plan.”

Buttler, who took over the captaincy from Eoin Morgan in 2022, led England to victory in the T20 World Cup in Australia later that year. Despite the current setback, he hinted at his desire to remain captain until at least the Champions Trophy in Pakistan, set for February next year. However, he admitted, “I am not thinking too far ahead to be honest and reflecting on the loss today, trying to review that. I haven’t thought past today.”

Acknowledging India’s superior performance, Buttler admitted that England was “outplayed.” He pointed out that England allowed India to score “20 to 25” runs too many on a challenging batting surface with low bounce, as India posted a total of 171-7. Indian spinners Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav then dominated England’s batting line-up, taking 3-23 and 3-19 respectively, leading to England’s collapse.

“They fully deserved to win,” Buttler conceded. “With a good score and their brilliant bowling attack, it was always going to be a tough chase.”

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Despite reaching the semi-finals, England’s tournament record revealed just one victory against the Test-playing nations. Their group stage journey was marked by a close call with a washout against Scotland and a defeat by Australia. Although they managed to beat the West Indies, their other victories came against Oman, Namibia, and the United States.

Buttler remained philosophical about their performance, stating, “We can only play who’s in front of us. We’ve had a lot of adversity but we have stuck together really well. We played good cricket in patches but unfortunately came up short when we needed it most.”

As England looks ahead, the focus will be on introspection and improvement, ensuring they come back stronger in future tournaments.