At “one of the top stadiums in the world,” Captain has never had a victory.
Phil Salt is ready to take the lead but Dawid Malan is still uncertain.
On the eve of England’s T20 World Cup semifinal match against India, deep within Adelaide Oval, Jos Buttler claimed that it is “in my view one of the finest venues in the world.” In actuality, it wouldn’t be shocking if it caused him to break out in hives. Buttler has appeared here six times—during two tests, two ODIs, and twice in the Big Bash League—and has lost each time.
One of those matches was the demoralising loss to Bangladesh in the 2015 World Cup, which is regarded as the lowest point in England’s history with the white ball. Since then, the team has undergone significant change. On Thursday, Buttler’s first competition as captain, the team will have the chance to put those demons to rest.
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A number of us have just been discussing that in the dressing room, he remarked. Every time you return to a certain location, there are some memories and events that are sadly not always pleasant. I would argue that time in English cricket was a true line in the sand. Being in the semifinals right now and into competitions with some amount of expectation that we should play well is fantastic for the squad.
In contrast to Mark Wood, who has been dealing with “stiffness,” and Dawid Malan, who has a small groyne strain, Buttler encouraged Phil Salt to contribute to the game if needed. On Wednesday, Malan was only able to sparingly bat away a few low-pace throwdowns in the nets, while Wood—who often bowls just briefly the day before a game—tried a dozen different pitches.
As always, we have 15 men getting ready to play, and we will give it as long as we can with those guys, Buttler added. “We have some amazing players who haven’t competed in the event before and they’ll be itching to make an impression. I wouldn’t anticipate them to be relieved that they aren’t playing since everyone should feel deserving of a spot in the starting lineup and confident in their abilities to succeed if given the opportunity.
With Buttler at the top of England’s batting order, Salt had been vying with Alex Hales for that position going into the tournament. However, Salt lost that decision and has since not played at all. However, many people have commended his training mentality.
He has a great attitude, in my opinion, Buttler added. “He has no fear of anyone and is someone who likes to take the initiative and play the game. He epitomises a lot of the team values and playing behaviours we want from our players. If he gets the chance to play, I most definitely wouldn’t expect to see much else from him. He is not the type of person to back down from a challenge; on the contrary, he will take it on.
It’s fascinating to compare this to India, who employed Rishabh Pant in their last group game in case they needed him later on during the knockout stages. Rohit Sharma stated on Wednesday that “it would be unfair to just come the person from nowhere and make him play,” adding that “we wanted to give him some time and have some choices if we want to make adjustments.”
India’s only selection conundrum, in terms of fitness, is whether to maintain Pant in the lineup or bring back Dinesh Karthik.
Buttler and Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s fight, which has historically been entirely one-sided, will be a pivotal matchup. In 32 T20 international pitches from Kumar, Buttler has scored 30 runs, been thrown out five times, and has an average of six; Buttler will almost definitely face Kumar to open England’s inning. There are always some bowlers you find harder than others, or you have good and terrible matches with them at different points in your career, according to Buttler. “However, I have no fear of anyone. I usually take my time getting ready and try to play the ball in front of me rather than the bowler.
Suryakumar Yadav, who has lit up the competition with three half-centuries, a strike rate of 193.96 and a variety of strokes that most players would be unable to recreate even in their fantasies, is the guy who is receiving the most attention coming into the game. Sharma described him as a man who “simply doesn’t carry any baggage.” Not his suitcase; he has a tonne of them. In all honesty, he enjoys shopping. However, I don’t think he has it in him to shoulder more weight or strain.
“I believe he’s definitely been the batter of the tournament so far,” Buttler said. He certainly has all the options, and he permits himself to play every option. But it only takes one chance to make a wicket, just as with every other batsman in the globe. We must immediately devise a method for doing it.
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