26 October 2023 , 16:34
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Jos Buttler admitted he and his team were in shock at their abject World Cup failure that hit a new low against Sri Lanka.
But the 33-year-old insisted he was still the man to lead the side through the remaining gloom of this tournament and beyond during the obvious rebuild. And after a fourth defeat out of five, this time by eight wickets, England’s tournament is as good as over and it will take some serious work to get them back to the levels they had been at for so long.
“You get on the plane with high hopes and a lot of confidence and belief that we can challenge for the title,” said Buttler. “So, to be sat here now with the three weeks that have been is a shock.
“It's a shock to everyone. I'll walk back in the dressing room and look at the players sat there and think ‘how have we found ourselves in this position with the talent and the skill that's in the room?' But it is the position we're in, it's the reality of what's happened over the last three weeks and that's a huge low point.
“I think you're always questioning yourself as captain, how you can get the best out of players, how you can get the team moving in the right direction. I certainly have a lot of confidence and belief in myself as a leader and captain and first and foremost as a player.”
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At least Buttler tried to land a blow with the way he played before edging behind, but he has been one of a number of senior players who have not been anywhere near their best at the tournament. And when Adil Rashid was run out by the keeper by backing up too far, it summed up the catalogue of errors that this World Cup will be remembered for.
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Buttler was dismissed for eight runs (AFP via Getty Images)India are up next for the former champions in a game that is now more about pride rather than progress and coach Matthew Mott agrees. "Yeah, it's over now, I think,” he told the BBC. “I'm not a mathematician, but we have to come to terms with that from now we're playing for a lot of pride.
“We've got a lot to do there, we feel like we've let our fans down, our families and supporters and everyone in that dressing room. We haven't put our best foot forward and in professional sport that's what you're judged on.
"We have to use this in a really positive way, I've been part of teams that have won and part of teams that have lost, but when you lose like this it has to sting and has to hurt, but something good has to come out of it.”