ICC World Cup 2023: Jos Buttler Defends Joe Root After Flop Show In NZ vs ENG Series

England ODI skipper Jos Buttler has defended Joe Root after the latter’s poor show in the recent New Zealand vs England ODI series. Jos Buttler said that Joe Root should get some more game time to prepare himself.

Joe Root, who is a regular member of England in Tests, was inducted into the squad for the ODI series against New Zealand. The right-handed batter scored just 39 runs across his 4 outings against New Zealand with a top knock of 29 runs in one game.

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Jos Buttler Backs Joe Root After Poor Batting Show

While speaking during the post-match presentation, England skipper Jos Buttler defended Joe Root after his poor batting show in ENG vs NZ series. Buttler said that it would be wrong to leave out someone just after you urged them to play in a specific way.

“We’ve tried to be a really loyal team and selection panel throughout. It’s something Eoin Morgan and Trevor Bayliss started. If you ask people to play in an aggressive way, then leave them out as soon as it goes wrong, it sends the wrong message,” said Jos Buttler.

“Everything’s an option. With a guy as experienced as Joe Root, you can clearly just ask him ‘what do you need before a World Cup?’ and he’ll be able to give an answer as to what he’d like to do,” the England opener added.

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England Crush New Zealand 3-1

England defeated New Zealand in the 4th ODI to win the four-match series 3-1. Dawid Malan scored 127 runs for the team to take the scoreboard to 311-9. Joe Root could only score 29 runs off 40 balls.

During the chase, New Zealand opener Will Young hit 24 runs. Later, Henry Nicholls added 41 while Rachin Ravindra scored 61. However, the Kiwis were bowled out for 211 and lost the match by 100 runs.

Also Read: ENG vs NZ: Andrew Flintoff Looks Unrecognizable As He Coaches England’s ODI Team 9 Months After Car Crash

Earlier, Jos Buttler & Co. crushed New Zealand by 181 runs in the 3rd ODI. They also won the 2nd ODI by 79 runs. New Zealand won the opening ODI game by 8 wickets. However, England managed to outplay Kiwis 3-1 in the series.