It’s been two years since Eoin Morgan retired. Jos Buttler has also captained the England team for two years. Under his leadership, England has also played two World Cups – one T20I, another ODI World Cup.
England became the champion in one, the seventh in another. A few months after Morgan’s retirement, Butler lifted the 2022 T20 World Cup title in Australia. But how much of that team actually had Butler? Seva’s team had stars like Ben Stokes.
Alex Hales came back with the World Cup after a long break and played great. Mark Wood, Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, Moeen Ali—the names make up Morgan’s team! Of course, even with this team that changed white-ball cricket, England could not retain the ODI World Cup title in October last year.
Finished the tournament as the number 7 team with only 3 wins in 9 matches. English fans must have been chanting Morgan’s ‘Good Old Days’. Ah, what time was not English cricket! White team cricket means the ultimate dominance of the English.
Another T20 World Cup has brought Buttlers a chance to relive that moment. If successful in the mission to retain the title, this team will definitely come out of Morgan’s shadow, truly become ‘Butler’s team’. If that happens, Butler will write his name in the short list of two-time World Cup winning captains.
Clive Lloyd won the World Cup twice as West Indies captain, winning the first two editions of the ODI World Cup. Australia’s Ricky Ponting sat next to him in 2003 and 2007. Following in Lloyd’s footsteps, compatriot Darren Sammy won the World Cup twice in T20 cricket as well.
After winning the title in Sri Lanka in 2012, Sammy’s team won the World T20 in India in 2016. If the 2022 Melbourne returns to Bridgetown, Barbados on June 29, Butler’s name will sit next to Sammy. England will start the World Cup with a match against Scotland today in Bridgetown.
All their matches in the league stage are in West Indies. Keeping the World Cup in mind, England played 3 ODI and 5 T20 bilateral series in the West Indies last December. Even though the Butlers have lost two series, they know very well what the conditions can be on any ground.
White ball cricketers also have CPL experience. English cricketers can also look to the 2010 T20 World Cup for inspiration. Paul Collingwood’s team won the title in the last T20 World Cup held in Caribbean conditions. But will the Butlers be able to do it this time? It is the lackluster performance in the ODI World Cup last October that raises the question.
Butler, however, wants to use the lessons of that negative experience this time. In an interview given to Sky Sports, he said, ‘There was a lack of communication in some areas in the last World Cup, the situation was chaotic. This is a great lesson for my captaincy. I don’t want to confuse the situation by giving freedom to everyone in the party.
Players will want to play freely. You don’t want to interrupt it too much. But don’t cut back on communication. When needed, the necessary communication should be in the team, so that everyone has a clear understanding of everyone’s responsibilities. “Leaving the past behind, Butler now wants to look ahead, “That World Cup was a disappointment for us. We had a blow to our pride, a blow to our confidence. But time does not stand still. You also need to move on. Now we have exciting times ahead of us.’
Buttlers know what it takes to win the World Cup. England won the title with almost the same team at home in 2019, and the same in 2022. Butler’s message to the team is the same this time, ‘There are many experienced cricketers in the team. They don’t need to be told how to play T20. In tournaments you have to play well in important moments. We will also try that.
