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England white-ball captain Jos Buttler threw his weight behind his group despite a shocking defeat in the 2023 World Cup fixture against Afghanistan on Sunday in Delhi. The keeper-batter admitted that England must get better as they are not at the same level.
The defending champions struggled with the bat as they failed to chase down a stiff 285 on a tricky surface against Afghanistan's three-man spin attack. Rashid Khan and Mujeeb-ur-Rahman took 3 wickets each, with the former claiming the final one to help Afghanistan beat England for the first time in any format.
At the post-match presentation, Buttler stated that England have to feel the hurt of this defeat. However, the Lancashire batter backs his players to respond in the pressure matches ahead. He said (h/t WION):
"It came down to execution, we weren’t quite at the level we’d like to be with both bat and ball... You got to let these defeats hurt, there’s no point in getting over things too quickly, we need to reflect.
"There’s a lot of character in this group, we need to show a lot of resilience and come back stronger. We need to have guys being able to perform under pressure and that’s what all of us will be working hard towards."
England found themselves in trouble in the first ten overs, losing Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root. Harry Brook top-scored with 66 but lacked support from the other batters as they slumped to a 69-run loss.
"I always retain huge amounts of faith in him" - Jos Buttler on Chris Woakes
Speaking to BBC Sport, Buttler defended Chris Woakes, who has claimed only 2 wickets in three matches this tournament and backed him to regain his form. The 32-year-old, who got out cheaply for just nine runs, told Sky Sports, via BBC:
"He's [Woakes] not bowled at the level we know he is capable of. But he's a class bowler and he's been a high-class leader of our attack for a long period of time. I always retain huge amounts of faith in him.
He's been fantastic for England throughout the summer and he's a class player and you just keep backing that."
England will next face South Africa on October 21st at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The Three Lions sit fifth in the table with just two points from their opening games.
The Proteas, meanwhile, are off to a flying start, winning both their games at the 2023 World Cup so far.
