Sri Lanka secured a significant eight-wicket victory against England in the 2023 ODI World Cup league stage match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. Pathum Nissanka and Sadeera Samarawickrama’s impressive half-centuries were instrumental in guiding Sri Lanka to the win. Angelo Matthews, returning to ODIs after 2020, made a remarkable impact, contributing crucial wickets and dismantling England’s batting lineup. Despite winning the toss, England struggled against Sri Lanka’s potent bowling attack, managing only 156 runs.
Jos Buttler, expressing his frustration, acknowledged the challenges faced as a captain. He admitted disappointment in both his and the team’s performance, highlighting their failure to showcase their best game. Despite having experienced players, the team has fallen significantly short of their potential, perplexing Buttler. He emphasized that the team’s struggles were not due to selection issues but rather a failure to meet their standards.
Buttler lamented uncharacteristic mistakes, citing Root’s run-out as an example, and the team’s inability to build partnerships. He identified a lack of basic execution in both batting and bowling departments. Despite the struggles, he emphasized the importance of personal pride and the high standards they aim to achieve. Looking forward, Buttler expressed a desire to return to their best form in the remaining matches, acknowledging that whatever the outcome, they will strive to play good cricket.
It’s incredibly tough. As a captain you feel that a lot – disappointed with myself and the boys that we’ve not shown our best. We’re playing a long way short of our best. There’s a lot of really experienced cricketers in the room. You don’t become a bad team overnight. That’s the frustration. We’ve been so far short of our best, and there’s no particular reason. Can’t put my finger on it. Selection is something you want to be consistent with. Selection hasn’t been our problem. We’ve been short of our standards. Lots of the dismissals – Root’s run out – you don’t see that kind of mistakes from us. Haven’t been building partnerships. Not doing the basic things well with both bat and ball. The biggest thing is personal pride. The standards we set for ourselves. Rest of the matches we want to get back to playing good cricket. Whatever will be will be.
