Joseph Buttler

The reigning champions, who begin their title defence against Scotland in Barbados on Tuesday, completed their preparations with a seven-wicket victory at The Oval wrapping up a 2-0 series win.

It was a disrupted series with washouts preventing the T20Is in Leeds and Cardiff, but England finished it on a high, successfully chasing down Pakistan's total of 157 with 27 balls remaining.

Although the tourists were looking good at 59-0 within the first six overs, the pendulum swung in the hosts' favour as Adil Rashid and Jofra Archer quickly bowled Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam.

Buttler (39) and Phil Salt (45) then led the way in England's successful chase on the day of the former's record-breaking 116th T20I for his country, surpassing Eoin Morgan.

And despite playing two fewer games than scheduled in the series, the skipper feels the squad are in good shape ahead of their World Cup defence. 

"We have worked hard in training and there is a good feeling around the squad," he said. "Guys are all stepping up and performing.

"It would have been nice to get two more games in to expose a few guys to different situations, but we have really good experience in the group and a lot of guys have been playing in the IPL, so we are not short of cricket."

Of his own performance, he added: "I have a quest to keep improving, trying to work on a few different things in my game that I haven't been doing. That is giving me fresh energy and motivation.

"It went well for five or six overs but then I got out. The middle order needs to step up," Pakistan skipper Babar Azam said, with his nation beginning their World Cup campaign against the United States on Thursday.

"We need to sort out those things for the World Cup. We have a few injuries, but there are a lot of positives. Our play is good in patches."

Things looked bleak for the Titans when they saw their top order dominated early on, but Hardik's magnificent 87 helped them to 192-4, before the Gujarat attack blitzed their rivals midway through the Royals innings.

Lockie Ferguson and Yash Dayal finished with three wickets apiece as the Royals could only muster 155-9 in reply, sending the Titans two points clear at the top of the IPL table.

The Titans elected to bat after winning the toss but made a dreadful start when both Matthew Wade (12) and Vijay Shankar (2) went early on, the former being run out by Rassie van der Dussen and the latter caught by Sanju Samson.

They steadied themselves to reach 53 before Shubman Gill was dismissed for 11 in the sixth over, before captain Hardik, supported well by Abhinav Manohar (43) and David Miller (31 not out) dragged them back into contention with an outstanding batting display.

Hardik was undoubtedly the star of the show, his 87 off 52 balls almost single-handedly setting a difficult target of 192 as the Royals attack struggled in the absence of fast bowler Trent Boult.

Jos Buttler (52) drove Rajasthan to a decent start with the bat, hitting eight fours and three sixes either side of partner Devdutt Padikkal being dismissed for nought with the very first ball he faced. 

Replacement Ravichandran Ashwin went for eight shortly after and the wickets began to tumble in quick fashion once Buttler was finally bowled out by Ferguson, with Samson (11), Van der Dussen (6), and Shimron Hetmyer (29) all walking for the addition of 60 runs. 

The below-par Royals eventually lost nine wickets without threatening the target of 193, as Ferguson and Dayal helped themselves to three dismissals each.

Hardik drives Titans with spectacular display

Hardik's brilliant display with the bat drove the Titans to a strong position after a difficult start, falling just five runs short of recording his best IPL showing with a haul of 87.

Debutant Dayal blitzes poor Royals

Three wickets from Dayal on his Titans debut, as well as three from Ferguson, made the win more comfortable than it could have been, with the Royals' final three wickets falling for just 17 runs.

The Royals had been hoping to enjoy a first IPL final success since 2008 but once again came unstuck against Gujarat, who produced a professional display in front of a home crowd in Ahmedabad.

Gujarat beat the Royals by 37 runs in April and by seven wickets just last week, with the latter result repeated on Sunday.

There was a sense the Royals were waiting for the in-form Jos Buttler to provide inspiration, but shortly after seeing Devdutt Padikkal (two) slice to Mohammed Shami at short third man, the England international came up short on a delivery from the excellent Hardik Pandya (3-17), going for 39.

The Royals looked in trouble at 79-4 in the 13th over and their position did not get much stronger.

With Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore (2-20) also impressing with the ball, no one else managed more than 15 runs after Buttler's dismissal, with their score of 130-9 the second-lowest first innings total ever in an IPL final.

The Titans were fortunate in the first over of their chase as Yuzvendra Chahal inexplicably dropped Shubman Gill, who went on to make the Royals pay.

While the wickets of Prasidh Krishna (five) and Matthew Wade (eight) tumbled, Gill proved to be the backbone of the Titans' tilt with an unbeaten 45, aided by Hardik (34) for a while.

Chahal made amends to a degree with a classic leg spinner's dismissal of Hardik in the 14th over, giving the Royals a glimmer of hope.

But David Miller's emphatic unbeaten 32 off just 19 balls sealed the Titans' success with 11 balls to spare.

Buttler or bust

Buttler's angry reaction to being dismissed said it all. After a brilliant season in which he plundered four centuries, it ultimately felt like his campaign ended with a bit of a whimper.

While his 39 was only bettered by Gill, the scalp of Buttler was clearly decisive given the lack of runs elsewhere for the Royals.

Catches win matches

It is impossible to say how things would have turned out if Chahal had held on to that catch on the fourth ball of the Titans' chase, but considering it let Gill – the top scorer in the match – off the hook, it is difficult to look at that moment as anything other than key.

You could have sympathy with Chahal had it been a tricky one, but it looked routine and he simply appeared to misjudge the flight, almost jumping over it.

Stokes has taken the Test captaincy by storm, winning his first two matches against the world Test champions New Zealand, while England have been playing white-ball fixtures in the Netherlands.

England coasted to an eighth straight ODI win on Wednesday, their longest run since a streak between January and May 2017 (also eight), to complete the series sweep over the Netherlands.

Morgan missed that outing in the Amsterdam suburbs due to a groin issue, but the 35-year-old failed to score a run in each of the first two games.

The England white-ball skipper has passed 50 just once in his last eight ODI innings since scoring 106 against Ireland in February 2020, but Stokes was quick to back Morgan.

"Well, he's only had two low scores so I wouldn't say he's going through a hard time at the moment," said Stokes as England prepare for the third Test against New Zealand at Headingley on Thursday.

"I think the press are the only ones giving him a hard time and I think the players have shown it's not an issue with them.

"People are allowed to not score many runs and more than that he's our captain. He's a phenomenal leader and always will be so I've got no issues with anything going on with him at the moment."

Buttler stepped in as captain against the Netherlands in the absence of Morgan, blasting an unbeaten 86 from 64 deliveries as England chased 245 in just 30.1 overs.

The absence of Morgan was labelled as a "precautionary issue" by England and Buttler assured his captain has the backing of the entire team.

"There's certainly no questioning of his position from within the camp," Buttler said. "I can't put into words what he's achieved. 

"Everyone always talks about his captaincy but you forget what a brilliant batsman he's been for England in over 200 ODIs – that doesn't just go away overnight. Everyone in the team is backing him."

The destructive white-ball form of Buttler has led to suggestions he could return to the England Test side, with Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum encouraging an aggressive brand of cricket.

Buttler acknowledged he is in the form of his life, but says there has been no contact regarding a return to the red-ball team.

"I'd have to say yes," said Buttler, when asked whether he was in the form of his life. "The IPL was incredibly special personally to have a tournament like that, I surprised myself.

"I think what's important for us in white-ball cricket in England is we talk about playing in a particular fashion and we must try and live that to the max.

"Of course, there's a bit of a risk element to that way of playing but it's what we ask of everyone."

"I haven't had any conversations with anyone about [the Test team]. I'm very happy with where I'm at, at the moment. It might not ever be a question that has to be answered."

Six countries are represented in the men's side, with three each from South Africa and Pakistan, two from Australia and one from England, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

The three Pakistan players to make the team are Babar, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi. Babar was the top scorer in the T20 World Cup and amassed 939 runs in 29 matches in 2021 overall. Rizwan managed 1,326 runs in the same number of matches at a strike rate of 134.89, while Afridi took 23 wickets in 21 matches at an economy of just 7.86.

Aiden Markram, David Miller and Tabraiz Shamsi are the chosen trio from South Africa. Markram scored 570 runs in 18 matches, Miller 377 runs at a strike rate of 149.60, and wrist spinner Shamsi took 36 wickets at an impressive economy rate of 5.72.

Australia duo Mitchell Marsh and Josh Hazlewood are also chosen, with the former making 627 runs in 21 matches and starring in the T20 World Cup final win over New Zealand.

Hazlewood also played a huge partl in his team's World Cup success, taking 23 wickets in 15 matches at an average of 16.34.

England's Jos Buttler makes the team after scoring 589 runs in 14 matches at 65.44 apiece, with one century. He was England's leading run-scorer in the World Cup with 269, which included a stunning century against Sri Lanka, who themselves are represented by Wanindu Hasaranga.

The spinner was another standout performer at the World Cup with 16 wickets to his name, more than anyone else in the United Arab Emirates and Oman. Hasaranga took 36 wickets in 20 matches last year.

The final selection is Bangladesh's Mustafizur Rahman, who claimed 28 wickets in 20 matches at an average of 17.39, as well as keeping things tight with an economy of 7.00.

The women's team sees five English selections, including Sciver as captain, along with Tammy Beaumont, Danni Wyatt, Amy Jones and Sophie Ecclestone.

They are joined by Smriti Mandhana (India), Gaby Lewis (Ireland), Laura Wolvaardt, Marizanne Kapp, Shabnim Ismail (all South Africa) and Loryn Phiri (Zimbabwe).

India were routine winners in the series opener at the Ageas Bowl on Thursday and their score of 170-8 on Saturday proved far too much for England, whose star-studded batting line-up wilted to 121 all out.

The tourists played with the aggression of a team sensing their chance to claim an unassailable lead in the three-match series, captain Rohit Sharma (31) and Rishabh Pant (26) putting on 49 in under five overs for the opening wicket.

Rohit was removed by 34-year-old debutant Richard Gleeson as Buttler took a stunning diving catch, and the Lancashire bowler then claimed a memorable double-wicket maiden by dismissing Virat Kohli and Pant in successive deliveries.

Hardik Pandya denied Gleeson a hat-trick but he was one of four batters to fall to the excellent Chris Jordan, Hardik departing in the subsequent delivery after Jordan had removed Suryakumar Yadav in a superb 11th over.

India were wobbling on 89-5 at that stage but Ravindra Jadeja counter-attacked with an unbeaten 46 in 29 deliveries to give them something to defend.

They took the task of doing so immediately, Jason Roy edging Bhuvneshwar Kumar behind for a first-ball duck before Buttler was given out to the same bowler on review for just four.

Liam Livingstone (15) also departed cheaply at the hands of Jasprit Bumrah, England continuing to lose wickets in an innings that lacked impetus until Moeen Ali (35 off 21) offered some.

His exit, and those of Jordan and Gleeson, left David Willey (33 not out) protecting the final wicket, which fell when Harshal Patel uprooted Matt Parkinson's stumps.

Bhuvi gets Buttler (again), and then some

Bhuvneshwar dismissed Buttler for a duck in the first game at Southampton and he proved a thorn in the dangerous skipper's side again, the seamer the pick of the bowlers as his 3-15 turned the match firmly in India's favour.

Rohit's streak continues

Rohit has now captained India's T20I side to victory in 14 successive matches. His run of 13 was already a record and with India claiming back-to-back emphatic victories over one of the world's best white-ball sides, they look in excellent shape for the T20 World Cup later in the year.

Morgan required four stitches in his right hand after the batsman split the webbing between his thumb and index finger in an opening match that was won by India on Tuesday. 

England's white-ball captain took part in a fielding drill at the MCA Stadium on Thursday but declared himself unfit to feature in the two remaining contests in Pune. 

Jos Buttler will lead the team in the absence of Morgan, while Liam Livingstone is to make his ODI debut in the second match of the series on Friday. 

Morgan said: "I had the hand re-dressed before the start of training today [Thursday] but it quickly became apparent that I found myself protecting the injury and getting into the wrong positions to catch the ball. 

"There's nowhere to hide on the field in international cricket these days, especially in limited-over formats so it didn't require any great thought to make myself unavailable. 

"It was a freak injury and it's extremely frustrating but there's nothing I can do about it. It's now just a case of letting the cut heal. I have every confidence in Jos and the rest of the squad coping without me." 

Sam Billings will not feature in the second ODI and the batsman will be checked again ahead of the final encounter on Sunday, having bruised his left collarbone in a 66-run defeat on Tuesday. 

Dawid Malan, already in the touring party as cover, has been added to the squad.

Philander's exchange with Buttler continued a feud between the pair that saw the England wicketkeeper-batsman himself sanctioned for comments made during the second Test.

The Proteas star breached Article 2.5 of the ICC Code of Conduct, relating to "using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his/her dismissal during an International Match".

On Sunday, Philander accepted a fine and a demerit point for his send-off of Buttler in England's first innings the previous day, although the latter punishment counts for little as Philander prepares to retire.

Philander bowled only nine balls in the tourists' second innings due to a hamstring injury, Joe Root leading his side to 248 all out, setting South Africa a huge target of 466 for victory.

Along with Philander and Buttler, both Kagiso Rabada - consequently suspended - and Ben Stokes have received fines and demerit points in this series, which England lead 2-1 going into the last two days of the fourth and final match.

But the roaring success of the Indian Premier League means its 16th season is anticipated on a similar level to those totemic events on the cricket calendar.

And why not? There is no greater franchise competition in cricket, featuring star names from across the globe playing to vast crowds and huge television audiences.

A measure of the boom in IPL popularity came when its broadcast rights were sold in the wake of last year's tournament, with five-year deals bringing in 48,390.5 crore (£4.8billion), testament to the tournament's enormous appeal.

Among leagues worldwide, only the NFL is said to have bigger per-game TV deals, with the spectacle of T20 cricket becoming a big winner with spectators, sponsors, broadcasters and advertisers.

Heading into the 2023 season, which begins on Friday with an eye-catching tussle between defending champions Gujarat Titans and 2021 winners Chennai Super Kings, Stats Perform has identified potential key storylines for the new campaign.

How can Buttler follow his MVP season?

Jos Buttler had a staggering campaign last time out for Rajasthan Royals, hitting 863 runs in 17 innings at an average of 57.53, with four centuries to his name. That was as many centuries as everyone else in the IPL combined managed to score.

He finished 247 runs ahead of KL Rahul, who was second on the batting list. Buttler cracked 83 fours and 45 sixes, and he has since been appointed England's white-ball captain.

This is a huge year for Buttler, with England defending their title at the World Cup, and all eyes will be on the 32-year-old to see how he contributes for the Royals.

Chris Gayle, in 2011 and 2012, is the only batter to have finished as top scorer in consecutive IPL seasons.

This is a league that brings explosive moments, and Australian bowler Pat Cummins surprisingly managed the fastest fifty with the bat last year, achieving the feat from 14 balls for Kolkata Knight Riders against Mumbai Indians.

With the ball, Buttler's Rajasthan team-mate Yuzvendra Chahal took a league-leading 27 wickets, at an average of 19.51 and with a 7.75 economy rate. He was the only bowler to take a hat-trick in the 2022 IPL, doing so against KKR.

The economy rate king was two-time former MVP Sunil Narine, who gave up an average of 5.57 runs in his 56 overs, albeit taking just a modest nine wickets.

CSK seek immediate statement win

Gujarat were champions in their debut season last time around, while defending champions Chennai finished a miserable ninth out of 10 teams.

This time CSK are determined to start strongly and banish memories of 2022, and one way or another it promises to be a memorable campaign.

It appears likely to be MS Dhoni's final IPL campaign, with the 41-year-old giant of the game and former India captain reportedly considering whether to call time on his illustrious playing career.

Dhoni would want to go out on a high, and in the hope of building a winning team CSK have taken an expensive plunge by bringing in England Test captain Ben Stokes.

There are suggestions Stokes could inherit Dhoni's talisman status at CSK, although there has been an early blow with the all-rounder not expected to bowl in the early stages of the tournament due to concern over his left knee.

CSK suffered another setback to their bowling department when they lost New Zealand fast bowler Kyle Jamieson to a back injury, replacing him with South Africa paceman Sisanda Magala.

Could pulling the Short straw work out well for Punjab Kings?

Jonny Bairstow would have been lining up for Punjab Kings, but a freak golf course injury continues to keep the England wicketkeeper-batter out of action.

In his place comes Australian Matthew Short, who has yet to play international cricket or feature in the IPL, but the 27-year-old is experiencing quite a moment in his career.

Short was player of the tournament in Australia's Big Bash League, the domestic T20 competition, when he scored 458 runs for Adelaide Strikers and became just the third player in 12 seasons to hit 400 runs and take 10 wickets in a single season.

He will fancy stepping up to IPL level and continuing his rich run of form, and joins a franchise that has seen significant change since finishing sixth last year. Punjab have a new captain and new coach, with Shikhar Dhawan and Trevor Bayliss replacing Mayank Agarwal and Anil Kumble.

PBKS will hope Short makes a long-lasting impact, while they are trusting a huge investment in Sam Curran pays off after making the England all-rounder the most expensive player in IPL history, landing him in the draft for 18.5 Cr (£1.85million).

Changes across the board

A year is a long time in the IPL, and there have been a host of new appointments.

Australian veteran and IPL master blaster David Warner has taken over as captain of Delhi Capitals due to Rishabh Pant being ruled out while he recovers from the major car accident he experienced in December.

Brendon McCullum's move to coach England means Kolkata needed a new man in charge, and they have brought in Chandrakant Pandit, while Brian Lara has taken over from Tom Moody with Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Mark Boucher will pull the strings with Mumbai Indians after Mahela Jayawardene became global head of performance.

Buttler blasted the Royals into their first final for 14 years with a scintillating unbeaten 106 off only 60 balls to secure a seven-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore in Qualifier 2.

The England wicketkeeper-batter hit six sixes and 10 fours in a masterclass at Narendra Modi Stadium on Friday, taking his tally of centuries for the season to four.

Buttler is only one shy of Chris Gayle's record of scoring six IPL hundreds ahead of the final in Ahmedabad on Saturday.

The 31-year-old is the leading run-scorer in the tournament with 824 from 16 innings at an average of 58.86 and Royals director of cricket Sangakkara has never seen anything like it. 

He said: "It's hard to describe what he has done for us this season. I think he started off so well, had a little bit of a flutter at one point in the tournament, but he calmed himself down, had good conversations rather than just training.

"He accepted he's mortal, he's human and he can't have that high level of excellence every single day. And to understand how you kind of reach that level at every game in different stages.

"Some days you have to fight and look ugly, other days your rhythm is there. The reality is you can't fight that condition, but fight what's happening on the day.

"You have to settle into it and build an innings. He can accelerate at any point, has all the strokes and understands the game really well. I can't remember anyone batting this well in the history of the IPL."

Rajasthan have not reached a final since they won the inaugural IPL in 2008, when the late Shane Warne captained them to victory.

Gujarat topped the table in their first IPL season and beat the Royals by seven wickets in Qualifier 1 to move into the final.

David Miller struck a rapid 68 not out in that victory and the South Africa batter says he is reaping the rewards of the Titans putting their faith in him.

He said: "I feel like I am repeating myself. But one thing that changed this season, is that I am playing every game.

"The last four-five years in IPL… I had a bad season in 2016 and then haven't really felt backed at all. That’s the nature of the IPL. There are so many overseas players and only four can play.

"I had to go back and work on my game. Although I felt really good playing for the domestic teams in South Africa, I was looking to find that good nick. That's what happened this season."

The Kings slipped to three defeats in their last five games as their playoff credentials came into question, but Mayank Agarwal's side managed to post a competitive 189-5 at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday.

Jonny Bairstow anchored the Punjab innings with 56 from 40 deliveries before being removed by Yuzvendra Chahal (3-28), who also picked up the wickets of Bhanuka Rajapaksa (27) and Agarwal (15).

Liam Livingstone (22) and Jitesh Sharma, who blasted 38 off just 18 balls, provided the Kings with late impetus, but their total seemed insufficient when the in-form Jos Buttler led the early response.

The England international smashed 30 off 16 but was caught off Kagiso Rabada's bowling (1-50), while Jaiswal and Sanju Samson (23) continued the charge before the latter was dismissed by Rishi Dhawan (1-25).

Jaiswal ensured the Royals were firmly in control, requiring a further 49 to win when he departed to Arshdeep Singh (2-29), who also claimed the wicket of Devdutt Padikkal (31) in the final over.

Shimron Hetmyer (31 not out) subsequently saw Rajasthan over the line with two balls to spare as Samson's side ended a two-game losing run to move level on points with second-placed Lucknow Super Giants.

Rejuvenated Jaiswal

Jaiswal mustered just 25 runs across his first three innings in the IPL this season, and was dropped after a poor run in which he produced scores of 20, one and four.

However, he made his mark on his return to the Royals XI as he produced his top score in the competition with his 68 against the Kings, which included nine fours and two sixes.

Classy Chahal returns to form

Chahal had struck just twice in four games, leading to concerns over the purple-cap holder's wicket-taking ability in the middle overs.

But the 31-year-old silenced his critics in emphatic fashion, picking up three important wickets after the powerplay, while bowling 10 dot balls as he went for just seven runs per over.

Hosts England edged out New Zealand in last year's showpiece at Lord's, claiming the trophy for the first time having hit more boundaries than their opponents after the two teams could not even be split by a Super Over.

It was Archer who held his nerve with the ball in a tense finish to proceedings, conceding just a single from the final delivery as Martin Guptill was run out trying to complete the second run that would have sealed victory for the Black Caps.

The pace bowler had needed to recover from a difficult start to the Super Over, however. His first attempted delivery was called a wide, while Jimmy Neesham then hit him for six as the Kiwis lowered their initial target of 16 down to three from the last two balls.

Yet Archer restricted Neesham and then Guptill at the death, much to his relief.

The 25-year-old was born in Barbados and had only qualified to represent England earlier in 2019, making him a late addition to captain Eoin Morgan's one-day squad prior to the tournament on home soil.

Joining Sky Sports' coverage as they showed a full repeat of the final, Archer said: "To be honest, the most relieving thing is that we won.

"There was a lot of controversy before I started - if I was the reason we lost, I don't think it would have gone down too well. I would probably have asked to take a month or two off from cricket, I don't know.

"I take losses really, really hard, so I don't know what losing a World Cup final would have done to me."

Jos Buttler also joined Archer and Sky pundits Rob Key and Nasser Hussain to view the closing stages of the game, with the wicketkeeper witnessing again the moment he broke the stumps to dismiss Guptill.

Asked to remember how he felt at the time, Buttler recalled: "The 30 seconds or a minute from taking the bails off to all of us running around, that is the most incredible feeling. It's pure elation really."

Ben Stokes also made an appearance during the re-run - and explained how he initially tried to talk Morgan out of the plan to send him back out alongside Buttler to bat in the Super Over.

The duo, who had shared a 110-run partnership earlier in proceedings as England matched New Zealand's total of 241, managed to take 15 off Trent Boult.

"When Morgs told me [I would be batting again], I said, 'I reckon Jos and J-Roy (Jason Roy)', because of how well Jason had played during the whole World Cup," Stokes – who was named man of the match after making a pivotal 84 not out in England's innings – said. 

"But as soon as he said, 'We want a right-hand, left-hand combination', I was like, 'Right, I have to get out of my emotions right now, go clear my head and get my head back on starting all over again."

Buttler was out for three off 13 balls against the West Indies in Antigua, his fifth single-figure score in eight ODIs, while he has now gone 13 innings in this format without a fifty.

Number 11 batter Gus Atkinson was the only other England batter who did not reach double figures in the first of three ODIs, where the tourists set a target of 326 in their first match since the World Cup.

Speaking after the Windies overhauled England’s total with four wickets and seven balls to spare in an exciting crescendo, Buttler remains optimistic he can turn his fortunes around quickly.

“I feel good, I just keep managing to get out,” he said. “It’s disappointing, frustrating and gone on for a lot longer than I would have liked but there’s only myself who can score my own runs.

“I’m not going to score any if I hide away and don’t get out there. You keep working hard, you keep putting the effort in and trust that it will turn around.”

Buttler is widely-regarded as one of England’s greatest white-ball batters ever and his lean patch has coincided with his side’s listing fortunes – this was their seventh loss in 10 ODIs.

England are at the start of a new cycle and there were positives as openers Will Jacks and Phil Salt, neither of whom were selected for the World Cup group stage exit, put on 77 in 8.2 overs.

Harry Brook top-scored with 71 off 72 balls, Sam Curran and Brydon Carse put on 66 in 38 balls to lift England to 325 all out – the highest total in ODIs at this venue, a record that lasted a few hours.

Rehan Ahmed was the pick of the attack with two for 40 but Curran recorded the most expensive figures by an England bowler in an ODI as he leaked an eye-watering 98 in 9.5 overs.

Curran and Carse were unable to stop an onslaught from Windies captain Shai Hope and Romario Shepherd, who put on 89 in 51 balls to turn the tide after the hosts had slipped to 213 for five.

Hope clattered three sixes in four balls off Curran to end proceedings, finishing on 109 not out, while Shepherd crunched seven boundaries in his 28-ball stay before being dismissed two shy of fifty.

“There’s some young guys in that team who have not played loads and loads of one-day cricket, they’ll learn a lot from this,” Buttler said of a side that had five individuals with fewer than 10 ODI appearances.

“A lot of stuff we did really, really well; not well enough to win the game in the end but guys will be better for the experience, learn plenty from that and come back for the next one.

“I thought we played really well, I thought the two guys at the top set the tone really well. We were positive and aggressive and put the pressure on the West Indies at the start.

“We just didn’t quite close it out. There’s no need to panic, we’ve done a lot of things really well, there’s guys who have gained experience from this and we look forward to the next one (on Wednesday).”

The Windies are also at the outset of a new era, having failed to qualify for the World Cup, but it was Hope, a champion performer who reached 5,000 ODI runs in his knock, who was their star on Sunday.

“This definitely gives us confidence for the rest of the series,” Hope said. “We’ve got to make sure the guys believe they can win in any situation. It’s great we can start this way.”

Long-serving Morgan called a halt to his international career this week after a run of low scores, three years after leading England to Cricket World Cup glory.

England also reached a T20 World Cup final during Morgan's time as skipper, and it will be a tall order for 31-year-old Buttler to deliver such strong results.

Buttler, who recently finished a sensational Indian Premier League season with Rajasthan Royals, served as vice-captain to Morgan and was the obvious choice to step up.

Buttler saluted Morgan's "outstanding leadership over the past seven years" and said: "It has been the most memorable period for everyone involved. He has been an inspirational leader, and it has been fantastic to play under him. There are lots of things that I have learnt from him that I'll take into this role.

"It is a great honour to take over from Eoin, and the place he has left English white-ball cricket in is exciting, and I'm inspired for the challenges ahead.

"There is excellent strength in depth in the white-ball squads, and I'm looking forward to leading the teams out for the series that are coming up against India starting next week and later in July against South Africa.

"It is the greatest honour to captain your country, and when I have had the chance to step in the past, I have loved doing it. I can't wait to take this team forward."

Morgan had described Buttler as an "exceptional leader", and the new appointment was rubber-stamped by England and Wales Cricket Board interim chair Martin Darlow and interim chief executive Clare Connor, after managing director of men's cricket Rob Key made his recommendation.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Buttler has skippered England in 14 previous matches but now has the role on a fixed basis. He has played 151 ODI games, hitting 4,120 runs at an average of 41.20, while scoring 2,140 runs in 88 T20I matches at an average of 34.51.

Key described Buttler as "the perfect choice", adding: "I had no hesitation in offering him the role. Jos has been part of our white-ball set-up for over a decade and was integral in the transformation of the way the team has played its attacking brand of cricket over the past seven years."

A T20 World Cup is coming up in October and November, and the 50-over World Cup takes place 12 months later.

Having chosen Ben Stokes as Test captain, then seen England race to a series victory over New Zealand, Key will hope Buttler has a similarly positive impact.

"He is in the form of his life and is showcasing his talent against the best players and teams in the world," Key said. "I believe the extra responsibility will take his game to a new level and inspire those around him. I'm looking forward to seeing him take us forward. He thoroughly deserves the opportunity."

Key has flown out to India for the second time, having been part of the touring party earlier in the tournament, and will begin the process of picking the bones out of a miserable title defence with Buttler and head coach Matthew Mott in the coming days.

A 160-run win over Netherlands in Pune on Wednesday gives them something positive to talk about after five successive defeats and put England back on track for Champions Trophy qualification in 2025 ahead of their final game against Pakistan.

There have been questions over the leadership of the side in India, which Key may wish to examine more closely, but Buttler has made it clear he wants to lead what will be a much-changed squad when it tours the West Indies next month.

Asked if he would be travelling as skipper, Buttler said: “Yeah, I’d like to. I know Rob Key arrives into India today. We can have some good conversations with him and the coach and make a plan for that tour. But, yes, I would like to.

“I’m competitive, I want to win any game I play, whether it’s a game of cards or a game of cricket. So I’m delighted with this win. It’s been a frustrating time, not winning games of cricket or playing as well as we’d like, I’m delighted with this win.”

Match-winner Ben Stokes, whose backs-against-the-wall 108 set England up for victory, will not be going to the Caribbean as he heads for a knee operation at the end of the tournament.

Some, including his friend and former team-mate Steve Harmison, felt Stokes should have been sent home for surgery as soon as the semi-finals were out of reach but his presence carried the side through a familiar batting wobble against the Dutch.

At one stage they had slipped from 133 for one to 192 for six and, without Stokes’ bullish knock, would have fallen far short of their winning mark of 339.

The man himself told the post-match presentation “I don’t leave anyone hanging” and Buttler said an early exit was never on the cards.

“No, we haven’t had any conversations like that. It’s not Ben’s style at all,” he said.

“He’s committed, he wants to play and he wants to put in performances like you saw here. Anytime you need someone to stand up when the team’s under pressure, he’s had a history of always doing that for whoever he’s playing for.

“We’re very lucky to have him in the team and I thought his innings today was exceptional.”

England head to Kolkata on Thursday, where they conclude their disappointing campaign against Pakistan at the weekend.

Their opponents still have a chance to reach the semi-finals, while Buttler’s men still need to tie down a top-eight finish to book a Champions Trophy place in 2025.

“It’s a huge game for us, vital,” he said.

“We haven’t performed the way we wanted to this whole trip, and we’d like to leave India putting in a proper performance.”

Buttler, plus Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood and Chris Woakes, were integral in turning England from also-rans to the first men’s side to hold both limited-overs World Cups simultaneously.

Eight members from the class of 2019 are in England’s 15-strong squad for the defence of their 50-over crown in India, which starts this week, in what could be an ODI swansong for several in the set-up.

Retaining their crown would put this England side on a pedestal as one of the greatest limited-overs sides ever, but Buttler insisted leaving a long-lasting footprint is not uppermost in their minds.

“I feel like legacy is defined by others,” England’s white-ball captain told the PA news agency. “The guys in the team are all excited just about this World Cup.

“A lot of us have played a lot of cricket together for a long period of time, being part of a really successful side for a long time and we’ve had some really good memories along the way already.

“Now it’s something new in my eyes, it’s a new World Cup, a chance to try and do something else and win a tournament and have a great time doing it.

“I don’t feel like we go out there with any added pressure of trying to cement a legacy, we’re just looking forward to the tournament and what will come of that.”

England played 88 ODIs between the 2015 and 2019 World Cups, revolutionising their approach as the format took centre stage on their priority list and culminated in their unforgettable Lord’s triumph.

Since that heady July day four years ago, England have had just 43 ODIs and frequently been without their best players as the Test and T20 teams took precedence.

Joe Root – England’s rock at number three – and Stokes, who has reversed his ODI retirement and will be used as a specialist middle-order batter due to longstanding left knee issues restricting his bowling, have taken part in just 19 and 13 50-over matches respectively since the 2019 World Cup final.

“Four years ago felt very different,” Buttler said. “We’d obviously had a big change of style of play and personnel in the team – all building towards that World Cup for four years.

“There was nothing in the way of that and being a home World Cup, I think there were different pressures of being the favourites which we embraced.

“Whereas going into this World Cup, it’s been a bit different, I think it’s probably fair to say we’re probably not favourites going into this one.”

Buttler, who succeeded Eoin Morgan as England’s limited-overs captain last year, doubts England’s status as holders of both white-ball World Cups puts a target on their backs.

“We’ve been a really good white-ball team for a long time now – teams want to beat you, we want to beat other teams as well,” he said.

“Whether that adds any extra difference to the results, I don’t believe so because we’re just as determined to try and win games of cricket as teams that are trying to beat us.”

England start their campaign against New Zealand at Ahmedabad on Thursday, the first of nine group-stage fixtures in eight cities that will stretch them physically and mentally.

Their decision to swap out Jason Roy, so crucial to their 2019 success, and plump for Harry Brook garnered scrutiny, but was based on the Yorkshireman’s flexibility to bat anywhere in the top six.

Having broken into and established himself in the Test and T20 sides, Brook has been backed by Buttler to make a splash in the ODI team if selected.

“Harry’s ceiling is so high,” Buttler added. “I think we’ve seen it in international cricket in the way he’s taken to Test cricket, especially. We all know the trajectory his career is on.

“He was obviously fantastic in the T20s in Pakistan last year ahead of the T20 World Cup and forced his way into that team and he’s one of the bright young stars of world cricket.”

:: Jos Buttler was speaking to promote Castore, the official kit suppliers of the England cricket team, investing in an extension to its national brand marketing campaign. For more information, visit https://castore.com

The 2019 champions were well beaten across all three facets by the Black Caps in Ahmedabad, with a mammoth stand of 273 between unbeaten centurions Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra putting them away emphatically.

The pair’s poise and power put England’s 282 for nine firmly in the shade and there will be questions over soft top-order dismissals, patchy bowling and inconsistent fielding.

For a team who have repeatedly set the standard in white-ball cricket over the last eight years and hold both limited-overs titles, it was a chastening start to a long trek around India.

And Buttler made no attempt to sugarcoat the manner of the defeat.

“I’m disappointed. We were completely outplayed,” he said.

“I thought we were a long way short of our best with the bat, we were probably looking at 320, 330. We had a lot of starts but I thought we were just a bit off in our execution. We weren’t quite clinical enough with our shot making and gifted New Zealand a few wickets.

“But we’re not robots. Sometimes you don’t play as well as you would like. Everyone’s working hard, everyone’s prepared well and we were just a bit off it. In international cricket when you’re a little bit short and the opposition play very well, you’re going to lose the game of cricket.”

England are jetting straight off to the Himalayan mountain region of Dharamsala on Friday for their next group game against Bangladesh and, while they are sure to have plenty of doubts and misgivings to mull over on the journey, Joe Root urged them not to second guess themselves too much.

Root, who ended a run of indifferent ODI form with a measured knock of 77, insisted the result was not a dramatic setback to the wider ambitions. England lost key games on their way to winning the trophy in 2019 and also backed themselves into an early corner before lifting the T20 crown last year.

“It’s important that we stay calm. I don’t think there’s ever been a World Cup-winning side that hasn’t had a bump in the road or a stumble along the way,” he told BBC’s Test Match Special.

“Look at us in 2019, we had hiccups throughout that. We’ve just got to stay level and authentic to what we are as a team. When we do hit a bump in the road, we are a team that comes back strong and we double down on our identity as a team. So you can expect that when we get to Dharamsala.

“We’ve got to be able to withstand a bit of pressure, soak it up. We are aware of that, we know that is part and parcel of any World Cup journey. We’ve got evidence that our method works, because it has done over a long period of time so we’ve got to stay true to that.”

Root also channelled the ‘Bazball’ philosophy which has carried England’s Test team forward over the past 18 months, suggesting that the batting unit could respond to defeat by upping the ante and going even harder next time around.

“We won’t be seeing guys chipping it to mid-wicket or mid-off next game, they’ll be hitting it 20 rows back,” he said.

“That’s one example in a number of different areas where we can remind ourselves of how good we are and how intimidating we can be as a batting group. We want to double down on that, put sides under pressure and get those massive scores that blow teams away.”

The Royals set a below-par target of 152-5 after top-order batsmen Jos Buttler (22) and Devdutt Padikkal (2) struggled to make headway early on, although captain Sanju Samson's half-century dragged them into contention.

Although Kolkata's own top-order fared little better as Baba Indrajith (15) and Aaron Finch (4) succumbed to early dismissals, Rana (48) and Rinku (42) fell narrowly short of half-centuries to end the Knight Riders' dire form.

Despite Samson's haul, the Royals have now fallen to back-to-back IPL defeats, missing the chance to go second in the standings with four matches remaining. 

Having won four of their last five coming into the contest, the Royals were put in to bat after Kolkata skipper Shreyas Iyer won the toss, and made a nightmare start when losing Padikkal for just two runs.

Things went from bad to worse when Buttler, the IPL's leading batsman with 566 runs prior to Monday, was caught by Shivam Mavi for just 22, way down on his season average, in the ninth over.

Samson put in a talismanic captain's performance as his knock of 54 put the Royals in contention, but was caught by Rinku in the 18th over after Karun Nair (13) and Riyan Parag (19) were also sent packing.

The Knight Riders did not have it all their own way immediately when taking up the bat, losing Indrajith and Finch to Prasidh Krishna and Kuldeep Sen before the sixth over was through in a flat start.

However, Iyer's 34 set the tone for a vast improvement in the second half of Kolkata's innings, with Rana and Rinku's outstanding partnership leading them to what proved to be a routine win as the Royals paid the price for their errors with the bat.

Below-par Buttler sets the tone

Buttler has been key to the Royals' hopes after averaging 65.33 this season, hitting a magnificent century in a crushing win over the Delhi Capitals less than two weeks ago.

However, his dismissal at the ends of Tim Southee set the tone for a miserable outing for Buttler's side, with Southee adding the wicket of Parag in the 17th as Kolkata clinched a crucial victory.

Rana and Rinku combine in style

A five-match losing streak had left Kolkata stranded near the bottom of the IPL table, but Rana and Rinku combined for 90 in a brilliantly efficient display to drag the Knight Riders to an important win and lift them to seventh in the standings, within four points of the Royals.

The hosts triumphed by 36 runs as they prevailed for a second successive outing after being put into bat by visiting skipper Eoin Morgan, with the previous encounters all won by the team chasing.

Captain Virat Kohli – shifted up to open – led the way with 80 not out as India amassed 224-2, their fourth highest total in the shortest format.

Jos Buttler and Dawid Malan both made half-centuries as England raced out of the blocks in reply, yet their chase ran out of steam. Unable to hit boundaries regularly when it mattered, they finished up on 188-8.

India had also made a fast start when they batted thanks mainly to Rohit Sharma. He dominated an opening partnership worth 94, belatedly making a major contribution in the series with 64 from just 34 deliveries.

Ben Stokes finally ended the initial onslaught thanks to an inside edge onto the stumps, though there was little respite for England's bowlers as the runs continued to flow.

Suryakumar Yadav (32) wasted little time in going on the attack, hitting the second and third deliveries he faced during an Adil Rashid over for six, though the leg-spinner would later dismiss the right-hander thanks to a stunning catch in the deep.

Jason Roy ended up holding the ball, though his role was a minor one. Chris Jordan had taken a superb one-handed effort on the run from long-on, then passed it on to his waiting team-mate before stepping over the boundary.

Still, Hardik Pandya capitalised on his promotion up to four with 39 not out, combining with Kohli to add 81. Mark Wood and Chris Jordan both registered unwanted half-centuries with the ball, while Jofra Archer finished with 0-43 from his four overs.

England lost Jason Roy for a duck in the first over, yet Buttler and Malan made 52 and 68 respectively to keep the game firmly in the balance.

However, amid the run-scoring carnage, Bhuvneshwar Kumar claimed 2-15, including the crucial wicket of Buttler. The seam bowler's economical four overs helped put the brakes on England, who were 104-1 at the halfway stage before slipping off the pace.

World Cup on the horizon

The top two-ranked nations in T20 cricket did not disappoint in a series that offered the opportunity to explore options ahead of the World Cup on Indian soil later this year.

Kohli finished up averaging 115.5, yet new faces Yadav and Ishan Kishan also caught the eye for India with the bat. Similarly, Malan – who became the fastest player to 1,000 international runs in the format – showed in the finale how he can change his approach, depending on the match situation.

Jordan goes the distance

Not for the first time in his career, Jordan produced a sensational catch, this time to see off Yadav. However, while a fantastic asset in the field, he has struggled to have an impact with the ball in the five games.

Between overs 17-20, Jordan has been hit for eight sixes in the series. That is five more than the rest of the England attack combined, while an economy rate of 13.5 in that period will be a concern for captain Morgan.

Morgan has guided England's white-ball sides through a transformative period since taking the captaincy in 2014.

The 35-year-old guided England to a dramatic World Cup triumph over New Zealand in the 50-over format in 2019, having taking his side to the T20 World Cup final three years before.

Another semi-final appearance came at the T20 World Cup in 2021, where England were defeated by New Zealand.

Matthew Mott has since taken the white-ball coaching role with England, who have defeated the Netherlands twice in as many ODIs to secure an unassailable 2-0 series lead before the final match on Wednesday.

While the likes of Phil Salt, Jos Buttler and Dawid Malan have delivered in the Amsterdam suburbs, Morgan has not scored a run across the two games.

Morgan has passed 50 just once in his last eight ODI innings since scoring 106 against Ireland in February 2020, but Livingstone voiced his support for the England skipper.

"The thing that has been forgotten is Morgs is an unbelievable leader," Livingstone told Sky Sports. "He is the leader of our team and everybody knows he is only one score away.

"I'm sure that score will come very soon and he'll be off and running again."

England blasted a world-record ODI score of 498 in the first match against the Netherlands, with Buttler smashing the second-fastest 50-over century for his country in just 47 balls.

All three of the fastest 50-over hundreds for England have come from Buttler, and Livingstone says he is learning every time he bats with the wicket-keeper.

"To watch Jos go about his business, it was nice to have him on my side this time round," Livingstone added, having played against Buttler in the Indian Premier League this year.

"It was pretty special to watch, especially from the other end.

"It's been great fun. It was nice to obviously break the world record on Friday, the lads have put in some really good cricket, it has been a great standard and hopefully it's the same again [on Wednesday]."