da bet sport： Apart from both England and Afghanistan’s semi-final spots being on the line, Buttler acknowledged the result on Wednesday could come with wider implications for his future
da realsbet： Danyal Rasool25-Feb-20253:17
Knight: ‘England’s best batter’ Buttler should bat up the order
There were barely enough spin bowlers in the nets to go around. Ben Duckett was first to the practice pitch on the edge of the main square. A left-arm fingerspinner operated in tandem with a right-arm leggie, with Duckett keen to use his feet or clear his front leg at the slightest opportunity. Perhaps it’s easy to do that to net bowlers, but Duckett had scarcely shown more respect to Adam Zampa three days back; this match-up had produced 50 runs in 36 balls as Duckett ran up a Champions Trophy record score. Here, under the lights, it looked as if his form hadn’t deserted him.It is perhaps how he shapes up around this time of evening on Wednesday, the floodlights having set in and the first signs of dew emerging, that determines England’s fate.England were vocal about the disadvantage dew had put them at in the dying stages of Australia’s romp to victory on Saturday after Australia won the toss and made sure England would bowl second. Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi admitted earlier that Afghanistan have a greater chance of winning when they bat first; indeed, it was a game model they executed to perfection in Delhi at the 2023 World Cup, posting a par total before squeezing England out by 69 runs. Perhaps, when they meet at the toss, both sides’ interests will align.Related
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“In the Australia game, the dew did come in and second innings skidded on a bit better,” Jos Buttler, speaking ahead of the game, said. “Each game is individual. You’ve got to play well, and the toss doesn’t guarantee a result either, so whatever happens at the toss, we need to put in a level of performance to win the game.”While it is just one individual result that puts England in the precarious position of needing to win tomorrow to keep elimination at bay, their collective performances under Buttler’s full-time captaincy makes England’s situation unsurprising. The defeat to Australia was England’s 21st ODI reversal under Buttler against just 12 wins.Since the start of the 2023 World Cup, their form has been even more dismal, with seven wins against 17 losses. Defeat to Afghanistan tomorrow wll guarantee first-round elimination in two consecutive ODI events after England were the format’s best side between 2015 and 2019, making official that title when they lifted the World Cup on home soil in 2019. With the 2027 World Cup on the horizon, it is unlikely to strengthen Buttler’s case to lead England into one more ODI ICC event.Buttler acknowledged the result tomorrow could come with wider implications for his future. “I think any time as an England captain, you want to perform, you want to perform well, and you want to lead your team to winning games of cricket. We haven’t been doing that enough in the recent past. But as soon as you catch yourself thinking about any negative things, you just try and completely forget that and focus on all of the positive things that could go right and where you can take the team.”Jos Buttler and Brendon McCullum have a chat•Matthew Lewis-ICC/ICC via Getty Images
Shortly after Duckett was done, the England captain took his place in the nets. This was altogether a more circumspect performance: the confident stride out followed by tentative pushes down the ground, more defensive blocks than the nonchalant pickups over midwicket. And though he had a bit of a hit against the spinners, Jamie Overton had a bowl against his captain, while the coach threw several down at pace.For, despite Afghanistan’s prodigious spin ability, they may find targeting Buttler with pace the cannier move. While Buttler has enjoyed pace outside Asia, the slower conditions through the middle overs in the subcontinent have seen his performances degrade sharply. He averages 22.75 in Asia in ODI cricket since 2017 at just under 98, his average and strike rate 40 and 11 points down respectively. No batter since 2023 has been dismissed by pace in the first ten balls as frequently; it has happened to him in five of his last 13 innings, with a particular susceptibility against hard lengths.If there is consolation, though, Afghanistan may be the side you’d want to face if you’ve got Buttler’s specific set of vulnerabilities. Afghanistan’s spinners were uncharacteristically off-colour against South Africa in Karachi in the opening game, with Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmed combining for 3 for 175 in 29 overs. It included a wicketless day out for Rashid, the first time that has happened to him in nine games.1:44
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Shahidi put it down to the Karachi pitch offering “no support” for spinners and said “even one ball didn’t turn”. Should conditions in Lahore be similar on an overcast day tomorrow, facing spin shouldn’t be one of Buttler’s problems. The England captain has struck at 107.46 against spin in Asia since 2023 at an average of 36. Given Afghanistan’s proclivity for using spin to asphyxiate sides in the middle overs, this could provide an opportunity for Buttler to turn the tables on them, and the tide around for his side.As his stint in the nets drew to its conclusion, Buttler was facing spin once more. He picked length early, transferring weight back every time it dropped short and launching it into the netting that prevented it from flying to cow corner. Some of the fuller deliveries were met with reverse sweeps – a few out of the middle, a handful that flew up. In these circumstances and in his form, it is a brave shot, but from the player that perhaps epitomises this England white-ball generation, you would expect little else.”From the start of the tournament, we knew pretty much every game is a must-win,” Buttler said. “We’ve got two games left and to progress further, we know we have to win those games. So that’s a very clear situation for us to be in. There’s little areas we want to improve and chase that perfect game.”England’s confidence under Brendon McCullum means they always keep the faith they will find the lock to such perfection. Buttler, however, has been around long enough to know if they are to find it under his stewardship, it probably has to be tomorrow.
