Defending champions England led by Jos Buttler bowed out of ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023 with a convincing 93-run win over Pakistan. Buttler ended Pakistan’s unrealistic chances of reaching the semi-finals as soon as he won the toss and opted to bat first at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Current limited-overs World Champions England have looked like a pale shadow of themselves as they have suffered frequent batting collapses and bowling has performed in patches as well. This World Cup will also mark the end of an era as several players in the current team won’t feature in the quadrennial event. Buttler revealed the conversation he had with the team before taking the field against Pakistan.
“We spoke before the game about - if this is the last game of an era, let's make some good memories. Wherever we go from here, today is a good day,” Buttler said in the post-match presentation.
Buttler was happy to finish the campaign with a convincing win after a string of losses that practically knocked them out of the semi-final race midway through the tournament. The wicketkeeper-batter said that the absence of Ben Stokes in the first few matches hurt them as well.
“Nice to put in a good performance and finish that way. Ultimately it's been a disappointing tournament. Lots to reflect on. Got off to a really good start, guys in the middle set it up for the end. That's what we're capable of, haven't showed it enough. We should've been able to cope without Ben. We know what a class player Ben is. These last two games he's played fantastically well. Not having him for a few games certainly was a challenge, but we're good enough to deal with that,” the 33-year-old said.
Buttler lauded Willey after he took three wickets in his farewell ODI game, “He's been fantastic. Always finding a way - that's been the hallmark. A team man who'll be missed.”
However, Buttler feels there won’t be massive changes in approach like the ones made after England’s exit from World Cup 2015.
“It won't be the drastic change of playing style like 2015. It's about making sure we'll push on from here,” he concluded.
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