‘Big learning for me is to try not to confuse freedom with maybe a lack of clarity’ – Jos Buttler on lessons learnt from ODI WC 2023 debacle

England’s dismal performance at the ODI World Cup 2023 in India was a bitter pill to swallow for Jos Buttler’s side. After entering as defending champions and one of the tournament favorites, the Three Lions shockingly won just three of their nine matches to make an early exit.

However, Buttler remains optimistic that his team will learn from the setback as they now turn their focus to defending their T20 World Cup title in June this year.

The 33-year-old led his side to glory at the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia, making a remarkable turnaround after their group-stage loss to Ireland. But that toughness was lacking at the 50-over ICC event as heavy losses to New Zealand, Afghanistan, and South Africa eliminated them before the knockout stages.

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You’ve got to come back from adversity well: Jos Buttler

Reflecting on the disappointment, the English skipper acknowledged there may have been a lack of clarity from the leadership group at times that contributed to England’s struggles. However, he firmly believes the team simply didn’t perform up to their abilities.

“The big learning for me is to try not to confuse freedom with maybe a lack of clarity. Sometimes you’re trying to let players play with freedom and you don’t want to step in too much. But you have to make sure you don’t miss things,” he said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

“Maybe [there could have been] more communication at times, to make sure people are clear on what is needed from them. But certainly, there are times where I look back and say I’d probably make similar decisions in certain instances, and for whatever reason, they just don’t work out,” he added.

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The wicketkeeper-batter is confident about his side’s chances looking at their squad having a mix of experienced campaigners like himself and rising stars like Phil Salt, Harry Brook, and Will Jacks.

While the 2023 ODI World Cup will hurt for a while, Buttler hopes that England will move on. He remains confident about their prospects of defending the T20 World Cup crown on West Indian and USA soil beginning in June.

“I don’t think it’s about trying to reinvent the wheel or trying to give people messages that they’ve never heard before. It’s about playing good cricket. In tournament cricket, you’ve got to play the crunch moments well. You’ve got to come back from adversity well. You have to read the game and play well, and be able to adapt,” he concluded.