ENG vs SL: "It's A Ruthless Tournament, Last Year South Africa Went Out Despite Having 4 Wins Out Of 5 Games" - England Skipper Jos Buttler Says After Winning Against New Zealand

England kept their ICC T20 World Cup 2022 semifinal hopes alive with a 20-run win over New Zealand at The Gabba, Brisbane on Tuesday, November 01. Skipper Jos Buttler led from the front and scored 73 off 47 balls with 7 fours and 2 sixes, while Alex Hales scored 52 to power the English team to 179/6 after electing to bat in the must-win Super 12 match.

New Zealand are still at the top of the Group 1 points table with a good net run rate, followed by England and Australia, and all three teams have the same five points. Jos Buttler said that the T20 World Cup is a ruthless tournament and his team needs to beat Sri Lanka to secure a berth in the semis.

England were under pressure after their crushing defeat to Ireland on October 26. Buttler stated that his team doesn’t think too much about the poor performance, as he knows he has the confidence and team to make a comeback in the marquee event.

We Didn’t Think Too Much About The Past Poor Performance – Jos Buttler

“I said at the toss that we didn’t think too much about the past poor performance, we have great players in the playing XI and in the squad, and we had the confidence that showed up today. It’s a ruthless tournament, last year South Africa went out despite having 4 wins out of 5 games,” Jos Buttler said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

Alex Hales Played Brilliantly, We Know What He Is Capable Of – Jos Buttler

After disappointing in two matches, England’s star opener Jos Buttler played match-defining innings and put on a crucial 81-run partnership with his opening partner Alex Hales. Buttler started his innings cautiously, scoring at a strike rate of just 100 in the opening half, but Hales led the charge at the other end and scored the most runs in their partnership.

“This is a World Cup, there will be pressure and the best teams do thrive under it. We bat deep, I thought the wicket was a little bit tricky, especially against spin and I thought Alex Hales played a fine hand, it’s all about partnerships, one day he gets going, and some other day it’ll be my turn.”

“Hales played brilliantly, we know what he is capable of. You need to be patient in T20 cricket, you need to keep backing guys. It’s important to keep pushing them and keep encouraging them. We were aiming for 160-165, but we managed to push beyond that. We have had success batting first.”

Also read: IND vs BAN: “If You Miss Run Out Chances And Catches In T20 Cricket Then You Could Not Win” – Former Indian Skipper Kapil Dev On India’s Poor Fielding Against South Africa