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Jos Buttler looked back on a turning point in England’s past in Adelaide to find inspiration for his bid to take a big step towards winning the Twenty20 World Cup.
It was here at the magnificent Adelaide Oval seven years ago that English white-ball cricket bottomed out when a very different, old-fashioned English side were defeated by Bangladesh and crashed out of the 50-over World Cup.
How long ago that seems, how different English whiteball cricket has been since then and how great would Buttler be thrilled to cement his own captaincy succession by beating India and reaching the final of his first major tournament in charge.
Jos Buttler is fueled by the humiliating defeat to Bangladesh in Adelaide in 2015
It turned out to be a low point defeat but now they are aiming for redemption in Adelaide
Ironically, it now appears that then-English coach Peter Moores was pilloried for apparently saying ‘we’ll have to look at the data’ when the BBC asked him for his opinion on that defeat in Bangladesh – he later recounted Sports post he basically said ‘we’ll have to look at it later’ – while modern Twenty20 cricket is so obsessed with stats, matchups and analytics.
“We actually talked about that in the dressing room,” said Buttler, one of the surprisingly five survivors in the England squad from that fateful day, along with Moeen Ali, Alex Hales, Chris Woakes and Chris Jordan.
“It was clear to see the change in our way of thinking. It really was a line in the sand for English cricket and it’s been a fantastic journey to be on since then.
‘You only have to look at our younger boys to see that the way we play now is ingrained in English cricket. To be back in the semi-finals with a level of expectation that we will perform well is a great place to be for this team.”
Moeen Ali (right) is one of five survivors on the current team, led by Buttler
Now comes the sticking point. Now comes the time when we will find out if England have really launched a new era of white-ball under Buttler and coach Matthew Mott, as they insisted at the start of this tournament.
Or that what is basically an aging England has peaked and is now struggling to create that legacy Moeen Ali talked about recently by winning more than one white ball tournament since the Andrew Strauss-inspired 2015 revolution.
India’s mighty power and their array of box-office talents, led by a rejuvenated Virat Kohli and newfound sensation Suryakumar Yadav, will face formidable opposition on Thursday and will be supported by the majority of what is expected to be a sold-out 45,000 crowd.
Among those on the sidelines will be Eoin Morgan, the captain who did most to transform English whiteball cricket, but now here as an announcer instead of his original plan to bow in Australia by leading England to another world title.
It would be easy for Morgan’s presence to cast a shadow over Buttler’s efforts to create a new England in his own image, but the captain made it clear that he is now in charge when asked on Wednesday whether he would replace his predecessor. would ask for advice.
Former white ball captain Eoin Morgan (right) still talks to Buttler because they are good friends
“I talk to Eoin a lot because he’s one of my good friends,” Buttler said. “But now it’s very important that I do it my way. Eoin is no longer the England captain, I have to take that on and lead the team as myself.
“We are now in a new era in English whiteball cricket without him as leader, so I’m looking forward to it and have tremendous confidence in the boys.”
In Buttler’s fashion, if he wins the toss on Thursday, he would bat first, urging his side to carry on bravely, even though batting has been swallowed up rather than increased in this tournament so far.
That toss could be crucial on a used pitch in Adelaide, but Buttler went out of his way on Wednesday to insist that he find the surface that should suit India’s strengths, especially as they bat first and chase England. not seen as a deciding factor.
“I’ve talked to the groundskeeper and he seems really confident he’s had time to put a good job in this wicket,” Buttler said. “It seems comfortable, it will be a very good and consistent surface. At the moment I’m not worried about the pitch.’
Buttler (right) determined to right the mistakes of 2015 and lead England to a T20 World Cup
What Buttler is concerned about is the need to make changes for the first time in this tournament. Dawid Malan looked far from completely fit while running and trying to punch on Wednesday and certainly seems to be missing out. He certainly looks set to be replaced by Phil Salt.
“He has a fantastic mentality, especially for the T20 format,” said the Salt captain.
“He is not afraid of anyone and is someone who wants to step forward and play the game. He certainly won’t shy away from the opportunity when called up.’
Even more disturbingly, Mark Wood appeared to struggle with bowling 12 balls in training on Wednesday and it seems a much bigger doubt than was first feared when he suffered from ‘general stiffness’ on Tuesday.
He actually seems to have a problem in his hip and could miss out after making a big impression at this World Cup with his extreme pace. Jordan is the favorite to stay ahead of Tymal Mills if Wood should miss.
“We’ll see how they both pull off,” Buttler said of Malan and Wood. “We try to give them as long as possible, but we need guys who are fully fit.”
England also needs all its players to be at their best. Otherwise, they could be knocked out of the semi-finals for the second year in a row and another near miss in their quest for lasting white-ball greatness.
There are growing concerns that Dawid Malan (right) will run out of time to prove his fitness ahead of Thursday’s semi-final match against India