England white-ball captain Jos Buttler feels recharged and fully motivated to improve in all areas after a disappointing 2023.
Buttler oversaw the abject defence of England’s 50-over World Cup crown in India in October, which raised questions about his captaincy and the credentials of white-ball head coach Matthew Mott.
A 3-2 T20I series defeat in the Caribbean followed but Buttler has managed to unwind since with a string of strong displays in South Africa’s franchise league helping him move on and turn the focus to putting things right at this summer’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and United States.
“I am really enjoying my cricket again and that was a big part of South Africa. Finding that love for batting again and spending time in the middle or on the field,” Buttler reflected.
“Weirdly in that time in India going through really tough periods, there are actually levels of enjoyment with that of, ‘can we fix it, can we make it better, can we get back to the level we know we’re capable of’?
“So all those things are quite motivating even though they are very tough at the time. Looking ahead to the World T20 is really exciting and has a lot of full focus but for me beyond that, I still feel as a batter this should be the best years of my career.
“I still feel fit, still feel motivated and as a leader and captain. I am still pretty young in that journey so I certainly have lots and lots of motivation to carry on for a while yet.”
Buttler’s next assignment will be the Indian Premier League, which starts next week, but he will be back in England before the franchise tournament ends to firmly begin final preparations for the World Cup with a four-match T20I series against Pakistan.
After England won the T20 World Cup in Australia at the end of 2022, Buttler’s white-ball team have experienced a big fall from grace, losing series in South Africa, Bangladesh and the West Indies alongside the crushing World Cup defence in India.
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He admitted: “I think it’s important to recognise we haven’t won as many games as we’d have liked.
“I look at my own performance and even if there were certain things going on and I was feeling terrible, I would still back myself to play a bit better than I did individually and the same goes for us as a team (in India).
“You can fall off a little bit but how poorly we did play is and always will be a little bit of a mystery.
“It has been my sort of want as a player the whole time I have been playing to improve and get better – to always chase something more and that’s got to be exactly the same for my captaincy. To learn from those really tough moments.
“It probably took a lot more out of me than I realised and from the outside, maybe my image of how I was looking probably was even worse than it was in the inside, so that’s an interesting learning. It is just about putting things in place to learn from that and to get better.
“There is always something coming around the corner as well in cricket so it’s about moving on, planning, looking ahead and just improving.”
Buttler revealed he watched some of England’s recent Test series in India and expressed his delight at seeing Ben Stokes with the ball in hand again, acknowledging it would be “really exciting” if the Test skipper could become a genuine all-rounder again with the T20 World Cup in mind.
Buttler, holder of 57 Test caps, did also field more questions about his own red-ball prospects after he last played the longest format in 2021.
“No real ambitions at the minute,” the 33-year-old admitted.
“I am just really fully focused on white-ball cricket and all the stuff I am doing there, captaining England in that format.
“Never say never to anything but I’ve had no communication with anyone about red-ball cricket.”
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Andre Russell ventures into Bollywood music scene with SRK's support
West Indies and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) all-rounder Andre Russell is set to make waves in Bollywood, following in the footsteps of Trinidadian cricketer Dwayne Bravo, who achieved success with his hit song 'Champion' in India.
Known for adding energy and entertainment to the dressing room, West Indian cricketers have a history of making their mark beyond the cricket field, with stars like Chris Gayle, DJ Bravo, Kieron Pollard, and Darren Sammy shining in the IPL. The latest to join this list is Andre Russell, the dynamic KKR sensation.
Russell is stepping into the music world by lending his vocals to a song composed by Palaash Muchhal. He will also be featured alongside actress Avika Gor in the accompanying music video.
What makes Russell's foray into music even more exciting is the backing of Bollywood titan Shahrukh Khan, the owner of Kolkata Knight Riders. Known for his larger-than-life persona, SRK is not just a team owner but also a key figure in the entertainment industry. Russell and SRK share a strong camaraderie, often seen enjoying each other's company and having fun moments together.
Recently, a video of Russell singing SRK's iconic song "Lut Put Gaya" from the movie 'Dunki' went viral, showcasing his passion for music. With SRK's support and Russell's infectious energy, fans can anticipate an exciting collaboration between the cricket star and the Bollywood icon.
Andre Russell's venture into Bollywood music adds a new dimension to his versatile talents and promises to be a delightful treat for his fans in India and across the globe.
IPL: Kumar the hero as Sunrisers stun Royals for final-ball win
Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the hero as Sunrisers Hyderabad came back from the brink to secure a final-ball win over Indian Premier League leaders Rajasthan Royals on Thursday.
Kumar left the Royals reeling at 1-2 as they chased 202 for victory, dismissing both Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson for first-over ducks, flattening middle wicket to send the latter walking five balls in.
A 127-run partnership between Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag then seemed to have the Royals closing in on a fifth straight win, only for their chase to unravel in spectacular fashion.
Two wickets apiece from Thangarasu Natarajan and Pat Cummins left the Royals needing 20 runs off 11 balls, and Rovman Powell came up with a thrilling cameo, the highlight being an unbelievable dive to avoid being run out on the penultimate delivery, which took Rajasthan within two runs of victory and one of a super over.
However, there was one more twist to come as Powell swung at Kumar's full toss, which clipped his back leg and was confirmed as out following a review, sealing a memorable win for Sunrisers.
The Sunrisers had also found themselves in a hole in their own innings, only for Nitish Kumar Reddy (76) and Heinrich Klaasen (42) to finish unbeaten and bring up a total they were just about able to defend.
Data Debrief: Kumar bookends back-and-forth innings
For much of the Rajasthan innings, it looked like Kumar's early dismissals of Buttler and Samson would count for nought, with some expensive overs from Cummins and Marco Jansen leaving the Royals on the brink.
However, Kumar stepped up when it was all on the line on the final delivery, leaving Powell in a tangle to end Hyderabad's two-match losing streak and lift them into the top four.
Pakistan bowlers shine to hand West Indies first loss of tour in fourth T20I
West Indies Women suffered their first loss on their tour of Pakistan as the hosts secured an eight-wicket win in the fourth T20 International at the Karachi National Stadium on Thursday.
Excellent Pakistan bowling meant the tourists were restricted to just 84-9 off their 20 overs after winning the toss and batting first.
Shemaine Campbelle (26), Zaida James (19) and Jannilea Glasgow (10) were the only West Indian batters to get double-figures as Sadia Iqbal and Nida Dar dominated with 3-18 from four overs and 3-19 from four overs, respectively.
Pakistan then needed only 16.3 overs to reach 87-2 and secure their first win of the series. Ayesha Zafar led the way with 42* off 48 balls while Gull Feroza finished 21* off 24 balls.
Afy Fletcher and Shamilia Connell took a wicket, each, for the Windies.
Full Scores: West Indies Women 84-9 (Shemaine Campbelle 26, Sadia Iqbal 3-18, Nida Dar 3-19)
Pakistan Women 87-2 (Ayesha Zafar 42*, Gull Feroza 21*, Afy Fletcher 1-6, Shamilia Connell 1-8)
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