Jos Buttler will leave it to others to define the legacy of this England white-ball generation as they gear up for what could be one final ODI hurrah.
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
West Indies Women to tour India for three ODIs and three T20Is in December
The West Indies Women will be in action next month when they tour India from December 15-27.
The series, part of the 2022-2025 Future Tours Programme (FTP), will see the Windies taking on India in three T20Is and three ODIs in Navi Mumbai and Vadodara.
The T20Is are scheduled for December 15, 17 and 19 followed by the ODIs on December 22, 24 and 27.
This will be a valuable experience for the regional side in conditions they should experience at next year’s ODI World Cup in India.
West Indies last played a white-ball series in India eight years ago, winning the T20I series 3-0 before losing the ODIs 0-3.
Volcanoes secure second win of the season with 98-run DLS method victory over CCC
The Windward Islands Volcanoes got their second positive result in this year’s CG United Super50 Cup alive with a 98-run DLS method win over the Combined Campuses and Colleges at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy on Wednesday.
In a match reduced to 44 overs per side, the Windwards produced an excellent batting effort after being inserted by the CCC.
The 2018 champions produced a score of 307-7 in their 44 overs thanks to half centuries from Alick Athanaze, captain Sunil Ambris and Kavem Hodge.
Athanaze led the way with 77 off 75 balls including 12 fours and a six. Ambris made a 63-ball 70 including eight fours while Hodge made an even 50 off 47 balls including five fours.
West Indies Under-19 captain Stephan Pascal also chipped in with 41 as Amari Goodridge and Romario Greaves each took two wickets.
Set a revised target of 312 off their 44 overs, the CCC could only muster up 213 in 36.3 overs before being bowled out.
Jonathan Drakes led the way with 55 off 68 balls against Shadrack Descarte who bowled with skill on his way to figures of 4-43 from 6.3 overs of medium pace.
Darius Martin and Kenneth Dember provided good support with two wickets, each.
Full Scores:
Windward Islands Volcanoes 307-7 off 44 overs (Alick Athanaze 77, Sunil Ambris 70, Kavem Hodge 50, Stephan Pascal 44, Amari Goodridge 2-43, Romario Greaves 2-68
Combined Campuses and Colleges 213 off 36.3 overs (Jonathan Drakes 55, Johann Jeremiah 29, Shadrack Descarte 4-43, Darius Martin 2-33, Kenneth Dember 2-33.
Maxwell leads Australia to opening T20I victory
Glenn Maxwell's impressive 43 powered Australia to a 29-run victory over Pakistan in their opening T20I, which was heavily affected by rain.
Both teams were able to play seven overs each after a thunderstorm in Brisbane delayed proceedings, but it did not affect Australia's performance as they took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Matt Short (7) and Jake Fraser-McGurk (9) were both taken early, but Maxwell's 43 off 19 balls, which included eight boundaries, turned the tide.
Abbas Afridi (2-9) took him and Tim David (10), but with Marcus Stoinis' 21, the damage was already done as Australia finished 93-4.
Pakistan struggled to gain any momentum, with none of their first six batters hitting double figures and Sahibzada Farhan's eight was the best of that group.
The wickets toppled thanks to Xavier Bartlett (3-13) and Nathan Ellis (3-9), and even though Afridi salvaged some pride with his unbeaten 20 to help them reach 64-9, they fell short of their target.
Data Debrief: Home advantage
Despite the shortened nature of the game, Australia still made their mark in some style. They extended their winning run in Brisbane in the process, with this their fifth T20I victory in a row at The Gabba.
On the other side, Babar Azam will have been hoping for a better performance on what was a landmark day for him - he has now made the outright most appearances for Pakistan in T20Is (124), overtaking Shoaib Malik. He also broke the record for the most catches by a fielder in T20Is for Pakistan (52), going past Fakhar Zaman's 50.
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