Jos Buttler believes England’s new-look one-day team have huge potential and an extra buzz after the recent World Cup debacle, saying the side’s new-found licence to attack without worrying about the consequences was demonstrated in their emphatic victory over New Zealand.
Buttler helped England to a record 210-run win over New Zealand at Edgbaston on Tuesday, scoring 129 off 77 balls. He was accompanied by a fellow centurion, Joe Root, and Adil Rashid, who made 69. England’s innings of 408 for nine was their best ever one-day total.
It was a performance in stark contrast to their display at the recent World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, where they failed to advance from the group stage. That campaign resulted in Peter Moores’ dismissal as coach, although his assistant Paul Farbrace has remained in the interim before the arrival of Trevor Bayliss.
Buttler, the Lancashire wicketkeeper, produced a stunning knock and reckons his side’s performance was the result of all those involved in English cricket demanding an attacking style. “If we weren’t going to go out and have a swing when everybody in this room wanted it, English cricket, the paying public and everybody who watches this sport, we couldn’t have had more of a licence to go and get bowled out for 150 in 20 overs,” he said.
“I think that is a big change – everyone has accepted that English cricket can do that and I think if we were bowled out for 200 in 30 overs we would not have been criticised that much. So we had a real lease of life to go and play that way. It wasn’t through lack of trying before, it’s not as if we wanted to play [badly].”
England gave Sam Billings a one-day debut while Surrey’s Jason Roy opened the batting. However, the new faces were not the ones who contributed significantly to the remarkable win, Roy being caught from the first ball of the match and Billings adding only three down the order.
Instead Buttler, Root and Rashid scored at a rapid rate, the latter taking four wickets, as did Steven Finn, as New Zealand toiled to 198 all out. Buttler revealed his excitement at the new names in the squad, saying there is a vibrancy and freedom that will help England in good stead as they attempt to make progress on the one-day stage.
“There’s a huge potential,” he said. “We don’t want to get carried away at one performance and think English ODI is fixed and we’re going to win the World Cup. But I think just looking round – the two training days were really exciting, watching what some of these guys can do in the nets, the energy they have brought to the group just through being new to international cricket, how exciting it is and how much fun it is.
“There’s definitely been an extra buzz. Everyone has seen in county cricket how guys like Jason Roy and Sam Billings have played innings that make people stand up and take notice. When they do that in international cricket there will be a wider audience taking note. When we realise the potential of everyone as a group and can all do that at the same time, it will be a really exciting place to be.”
New Zealand rested Tim Southee, and all their bowlers with the exception of Trent Boult were brutally punished by England. Southee could return at The Oval on Friday and the Kiwis’ coach, Mike Hesson, admitted his side must now fight to regain form for the four remaining ODIs. “I think it’s a different group,” said Hesson. “This English side naturally are quite attacking players. If you bowl poorly to them, they’ll punish you. The way Joe played initially and then Jos, and, to be fair, Adil Rashid batted beautifully as well at a critical time. They certainly gained some momentum and we’ve got to look to get it back in the next couple of days.”
