England vice-captain Buttler desperate to avoid another white-ball tournament damp squib
England vice-captain Jos Buttler insists he is desperate to avoid another ignominious tournament exit as his side bid to ignite their World Twenty20 campaign against South Africa in Mumbai tomorrow.
Buttler was a member of the England team which failed to reach the knockout stages of the 2014 World Twenty20 in Bangladesh, while he remains haunted by last year’s harrowing group-stage demise at the 50-over World Cup Down Under.
“Ten months ago at the World Cup was some of the worst feelings that I’ve ever had on a cricket field,” said Buttler. “We’ve all had bad experiences but you learn from them.
“It [today’s game] is still a game of cricket, you have the same emotions and the same thought processes but the outcome could potentially be more defining on the tournament.
“But it’s still 20 overs, it’s still 22 yards, and we’ve got to focus on that and learn from what happened against the West Indies.”
While England cannot be eliminated tomorrow, a second defeat of the tournament against the Proteas, following Wednesday’s loss to the West Indies, would push Eoin Morgan’s side to the brink of expulsion.
Yorkshire seamer Liam Plunkett could come into contention for a place among England’s bowling attack.