ENG vs SA | We could not find breakthroughs: Jos Buttler after England suffer 62-run defeat in 1st ODI
India Today
Rassie van der Dussen's century and a four-wicket haul by Anrich Nortje helped South Africa to take an early lead 1-0 against England in the three-match ODI series.
England white-ball captain Jos Buttler pointed out the team's inability to find breakthroughs as the reason behind the Three Lions's 62-run defeat at the hands of South Africa in the first ODI at Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street on Wednesday.
South Africa opted to bat and posted a mammoth total of 333 for the loss of five wickets, thanks to Rassie van der Dussen's 134, Aiden Markram's 77 and Janneman Malan's 57. The trio hammered England bowlers, who failed to get breakthroughs.
In reply, England started off well with a 102-run opening partnership by Jason Roy (43) and Jonny Bairstow (63). However, after the dismissal of Joe Root for 86, England collapsed as Anrich Nortje took a four-wicket haul, while Tabraiz Shamsi and Aiden Markram picked two each.
Reflecting on England's performance, captain Buttler said: "Tough day. The efforts were outstanding to field first in that heat. It was a good toss to win and we couldn't find those breakthroughs. A fantastic partnership. You need to take wickets to stem the flow in this format but they ran well and put us under pressure.
"We never quite managed to impose ourselves and the wicket got slower and lower, and tougher to time the ball. It wasn't through lack of trying. Those two at the top are explosive players but South Africa read the conditions well and were smart with the way they bowled."
When asked whether there is pressure on senior players after the retirements of Eoin Morgan and Ben Stokes, Buttler said: "We've been improving through the games we've played and we're missing experienced guys, but that creates opportunities for others. Very confident in the team. From all England fans, we want to say thank you for all that he's (Stokes) done for this team. He's been a fantastic ambassador in ODI cricket and we'll miss him."
England and South Africa will clash in the second ODI at Old Trafford, Manchester on July 22.
