England Skipper Jos Buttler will not undermine any team which has Rashid Khan, especially Afghanistan, the wicketkeeper-batter said ahead of their T20 World Cup 2022 Super 12 match on Saturday, October 22 at Perth Stadium. Having faced off twice in the marquee tournament, England have prevailed on both occasions, but Buttler reiterated that a team with Rashid Khan can never be taken lightly.
The 32-year-old star lauded the Afghans and said that the Mohammad Nabiled side are tough customers to deal with in the shortest format of the game. "I see them as a really tough opponent. There are some fantastic players in their team and any side with Rashid Khan in T20 cricket is going to have a big say. So, we give them huge respect and we look forward to a competitive game," Buttler was quoted as saying in a pre-match press conference.
He also declined from naming England as favourites to win the trophy, despite the presence of many match-winning players. And while accepting this fact, Buttler was quick to name defending champions Australia, led by Aaron Finch, as his favourites since they are playing at home.
"No, far from it, to be honest. We are a dangerous team with a lot of talented players, who can win games on their own and that’s a huge thing in T20 cricket. It's hard to be favourites I guess and if you had to choose one, it's probably Australia in their own conditions being reigning champions," he stated.
"In the qualifying stage we have seen that anyone can beat anyone and that would be the same throughout the next phase of the tournament as well," Buttler added.
Buttler recently made his comeback in international cricket during the T20I series in Australia after recovering from a calf injury. They are placed in Super 12 Group 1 along with Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Australia and a Qualifier.
