Jos Buttler is ‘dreaming’ of T20 World Cup glory with England as he eyes up huge final with Pakistan

Jos Buttler visualized the rare and special moment that awaited him in the MCG as he grew up in a cricket-crazed family in Taunton.

“I’ve certainly had some dreams about that sort of thing,” said the England captain when asked here yesterday if he’d imagined what it would be like to hold up the World Cup.

“I think it goes back to how you were as a kid, the kind of things you used to do in the garden with your brother and sister, pretending to lift the trophy.

Jos Buttler (right) dreams of World Cup glory with England in the MCG stadium on Sunday

Buttler could become one of the very first captains to win the cup on the first try

“To have the chance to really experience something like that would be incredibly special. They are definitely feelings that I don’t have to block or push away.

“You accept the things that come with a World Cup, like the dreams and the noise around the final. You accept that it all feels a little different.’

Not many English captains know what it’s like to win a World Cup in a major sport. Fewer still know what it’s like to do it in their first tournament in charge – and on the old enemy’s hallowed ground at Australia’s cricket cathedral.

Buttler has the chance to make history on Sunday as England try to unify the 50-plus and Twenty20 world titles as they take on Pakistan at the height of a tournament that was full of unpredictable cricket but also devastated by Australia’s wet spring.

Buttler believes he has ‘grown’ as England captain for Sunday’s World Cup final

Buttler (center) played a key role in England’s ODI World Cup success in 2019

The world’s most gifted white-ball batter looks increasingly comfortable at the helm of this England team, the shadow cast by his World Cup winning predecessor Eoin Morgan growing shorter by the day.

If Thursday’s spectacular success of Thursday’s India semi-final was the moment when this truly became Buttler’s England squad, today could be his crowning glory, as long as the severe setbacks predicted for Melbourne don’t rain down on his parade .

“It’s part of my journey as a player and person to be at the stage where I’m a captain and learn something completely new that I haven’t done before,” Buttler said. “It’s exciting to have the opportunity to do that. It keeps it interesting.

“I definitely feel like I’m getting better every day, that I’m actually getting the job now and I’m feeling more and more comfortable in the role. I feel like I’m growing as a captain.’

Eoin Morgan (center) previously won the World Cup with England against New Zealand

Buttler’s quick reactions as wicketkeeper saw England beat New Zealand in the 2015 cup final

The Twenty20 World Cup would be tangible proof of that, but the question remains whether this is really the beginning of a new whiteball era under Buttler and coach Matthew Mott or the beginning of the endgame for the side that left Morgan after the 2015 World Cup.

Buttler said England needed ‘one more dance’ as they beat India by 10 wickets in Adelaide to reach this final, but with seven members of the current squad in their thirties, it’s legitimate to ask if they’ll be speaking soon will take for ‘The Last Dance’.

It was Moeen Ali, himself 35, who said before the semi-final that England needed more titles to make the most of their talent in this golden white ball generation because ‘some of us aren’t getting any younger’. Buttler, 32, prefers to think of it as the beginning.

The English skipper played an important role in Thursday’s semi-final over India

Buttler (right) admits England ‘reaping the rewards’ of Morgan’s hard work as captain

“Yeah, some of us are getting a little older, but in this professional era you can probably play a little longer,” said Buttler, certainly a man at the peak of his abilities.

“You never know exactly how long things will take for you as a player or for the era, but that just gives you extra drive and determination to make things happen.

Buttler (right) leads the nation into Sunday’s final

“Of course we are still reaping the benefits of Eoin Morgan’s tenure and the changes that have taken place in the white ball game in England and it shows in the strength and depth we have. We are at the very back of that wave, but there is also a new direction.’

This final will decide whether that new direction will bring England’s second T20 World Cup and second world title of the post-2015 era after a string of near misses, including a defeated T20 final and two other semi-final defeats in global white ball tournaments.

And the game comes against a Pakistani team who know England exceptionally well after playing eight times in the immediate run-up to this tournament. Right now England 5 Pakistan 3 on the score but this is all that matters.

“We expect a really tough challenge,” Buttler added. “It’s a team that we’ve seen a lot lately and we’ve played some great games against them in a fantastic spirit. I’m sure the final will be no different.’

England play in the T20 World Cup final against Pakistan at the MGC Stadium in Australia on Sunday