4 October - Ahmedabad - England Captain Jos Buttler pre-match press conference
[Reporter:]
Question not audible
[Jos Buttler:]
No, I don't. Four years ago is a long time. It was a fantastic match with New Zealand and we've had some fantastic games against them all the time in some ICC events and in the bilateral series that we play against them. They're an excellent team. We expect a really tough match and we're excited for the first match of the World Cup.
[Reporter:]
Jos, you're the first England captain to go into an ODI World Cup as the defending champion. Does that bring additional pressure?
[Jos Buttler:]
No, not for me. I think I've spoken quite a bit about not feeling like we're defending anything. We're here very much in the same position now as every other team. We're here to try and win the World Cup. We look forward to what's going to be a great tournament. We're all starting in the same place and have big dreams and ambitions of going all the way.
[Reporter:]
How much does playing in the IPL yourself and for most of the players help in defending the title?
[Jos Buttler:]
I think it gives us a lot of familiarity with the venues and the travel around India, the hotels you stay in and those kinds of things. So, we know what to expect. Obviously, we're playing 50 over cricket, not 20 over cricket as you would in the IPL. And lots of the other teams are in a similar position with that. Many players from all around the world come here and experience the IPL. So, I believe that's an advantage for most teams to have played quite a bit of cricket in India.
[Reporter:]
Recently, you have lost two of your best bowlers. They are retired, Anderson and Stuart [Broad]. So how does this impact on your pace?
[Jos Buttler:]
Yeah, well, I think Jimmy is still available for selection. He's not played since 2015 and I don't think Stuart has either, even though he's now retired. So, no, those two guys unfortunately won't be a part of this tournament. But yeah, we have a really good squad of fast bowlers and spinners, a nice balanced team. So yeah, we're in a good place.
[Reporter:]
Jos, you play a very aggressive brand of cricket. Do you feel these are the conditions that could be the most challenging in terms of the kind of cricket you face? If it's a spinning wicket or slow surface, is this the biggest challenge for your brand of cricket where it will face a kind of a litmus test?
[Jos Buttler:]
I think the big skill in it, there'll be lots of different wickets we'll play on around the country. There can be some of the best batting wickets in the world here. Some of them can be a little bit on the slower side, some can spin. So, reading the conditions quickly will be a big part of the game. But we will always try and adapt our style of attacking cricket to whatever surfaces we're playing on. I think you've got to adapt in the game and play differently. But we'll always, whatever the sort of game is, we'll try and play at the higher level of that.
[Reporter:]
The number of ODIs since the last World Cup in 2019 has gone down considerably, not just for England, but other teams as well. And consequently, the volume of T20s have gone up. So, to that end, have you felt that the T20 mindset or tactics have sort of also sometimes seeped into your preparations and how you plan for this year's ODI World Cup?
[Jos Buttler:]
I think T20 has had a huge effect on all cricket. The way people can play Test cricket now, the shots that batters are prepared to play in any format of the game. I think the attitude to risk is to take more on as batsmen, especially in this day and age. And absolutely, the T20 skills drip into the ODI cricket. So, ODI is its own format. 50 overs can feel like a long time sometimes or a short time to bat. So, as I mentioned previously, reading conditions, and adapting and making the most of those conditions, whether it's with bat or ball will be a key factor in the World Cup.
[Reporter:]
Jos, since you will be playing in most of the northern venues, or North India, or all these places, and from your experience in the IPL, you have seen that conditions change drastically at night under lights and most of your matches are day-night matches. So, do you think in this tournament, toss is going to be a very big factor, maybe a deciding factor?
[Jos Buttler:]
I think certainly in some games winning the toss will be advantageous. I think again it's a big skill about trying to read the pitches and read the conditions. Dew can be a big factor at certain times in India. That will be a big skill of it. I think the format is generally long enough that the toss hopefully won't make the deciding factor in the game. I think you have to play good cricket to win the match.
[Reporter:]
Jos is everyone fit for tomorrow?
[Jos Buttler:]
Yeah, hopefully. We'll see how everyone pulls up. But we've been nursing a few guys over the last month or so. Hopefully we'll have a clean bill of health to pick from. Obviously, the guys will arrive for training soon.
[Reporter:]
Ben didn't play the warm-up game the other day. Is that just because Ben doesn't play a lot of games anymore or is there an issue there?
[Jos Buttler:]
Yeah, he doesn't play many of them to be honest, but now he's got a slight sort of niggle with his hip, but fingers crossed that that'll be good news for us.
[Reporter:]
Confident he'll be able to play?
[Jos Buttler:]
Well, we'll see.
[Reporter:]
You mentioned that Ben's got an issue with his hip. So, he's not certain to play tomorrow, is that correct?
[Jos Buttler:]
Yeah, just to clarify, he's had a slight niggle. He's working hard with the physios and we'll know more when the guys arrive for training today.
[Reporter:]
Is that a worry, first game, or is it such a long tournament that you just need to make sure you manage Ben properly because you need him there at the back end when it gets to the business end?
[Jos Buttler:]
Yeah, I think we'll make the right call here. Whether he's not fit to play, he's not fit to play. If he is, then we can make that decision. But it's not a time to take big risks on someone at the start of the tournament. Nearer the end, maybe do take more of a risk with people's injuries. But, yeah, it's going to be a long tournament. So, we'll see how the guys pull up here at training today and post-training, and then we can make our decisions.
[Reporter:]
Just on conditions here, have you got any idea what to expect on the pitch tomorrow and what's the play like?
[Jos Buttler:]
I've played a few times in T20 cricket and there's different types of soil, I think, on the square. You know, some of them can be fantastic batting wickets and the ball, I think, in the recent past, in the IPL season just gone, did swing around a little bit. So, I feel like it's not a bad venue for just good cricket. I think there's value as a batter. If you bowl well, there can be early movement, especially. So, we'll see how that plays out in 50 over cricket compared to T20 cricket, but look at the Gujarat team that do so well here. Got a very strong pace attack, which shows it's not all about spin in India.
[Reporter:]
Just on the make-up of the team, if Ben doesn't make it tomorrow, there's a reason that maybe Harry Brook comes in as your extra batter. What do you think he might bring to the game? I know he played in the T20 World Cup and impressed last year, but the first 50 over World Cup for him, what do you think he might be able to do there in the first game?
[Jos Buttler:]
Yeah, we all know what a fantastic player he is. The start of an international career that's been outstanding - in T20 cricket and the Test format. He's not played loads of ODI cricket, but it's a format that should suit him perfectly. It will allow him to bat for a long time and make big runs and that's something he enjoys doing. So, he's got all the shots, you know, from Test cricket, he can play big innings. So, it's a format that should suit him really well.
[Reporter:]
And just finally, I mean, this is a tournament, obviously, amongst a lot of others that you play, just how do the juices get flowing when you're on the eve of a 50-over World Cup?
[Jos Buttler:]
I think, yeah, really excited. I arrived here today and you're doing a little bit of media around the trophy. You see all the plaques on there of previous winners and for me personally, it casts back to 2003, being in the crowd at the final in Johannesburg, going to quite a few of the games in 99 when the World Cup was in England. So, some of my fondest memories of growing up with cricket have been around the 50 over World Cup. So, to be able to be a part of it and see our name on that trophy as well, it certainly gets the juices flowing.
[Reporter:]
Any additional edge playing in India and in IPL? Will that be an additional edge to the players who have played over here?
[Jos Buttler:]
I think there's a lot of players from all the teams who've experienced the IPL. The IPL has been around for a while now and guys will have experienced that competition. Lots of guys in our team and obviously players in the other sides as well. So, I think a very level playing field on that front.
[Reporter:]
Jos, the rule that won you the World Cup in 2019 has been abolished. Do you have an opinion on its abolition or do you think that if a Super Over ends in a tie, another Super Over should be played? What is your opinion?
[Jos Buttler:]
Good job it was there at the time. But what is the exact rule now? Yeah, I think, you know, that is a good way to keep going. Obviously, four years ago the rules were different, you played to the rules. It would be amazing if it gets to that point again. There's obviously a chance, but whoever's there, there'll be a winner in the end.