England vs South Africa: Jos Buttler on filling Ben Stokes’s void – We have got a lot of natural leaders in the team
India Today
ENG vs SA: Jos Buttler, recently, took over as England's T20I and ODI skipper after Eoin Morgan retired following the series against the Netherlands.
England ODI and T20I skipper Ben Stokes said that he is looking to build a national team, keeping in mind the 50-over World Cup next year in India. Recently, the Three Lions lost the ODI series against Rohit Sharma’s India 1-2 and also faced a defeat against South Africa at Chester-le-Street.
Moreover, the British team also lost the services of Ben Stokes, who retired from ODI cricket after the game at the Riverside Ground. Buttler, however, didn’t sound much concerned and said that England have a number of players who can put their hands up.
"We have to be realistic with where we are as a team in the ODI format. It is about building towards that World Cup in India [in 2023]. What will we need in the conditions out in India?” Buttler was quoted as saying on Sky Cricket.
"We have had a bit of change in the recent past, but we've also got a lot of very experienced players as well, who are natural leaders in the team anyway,” he stated.
Buttler, nevertheless, admitted that in Stokes’s absence, England’s batting and bowling aren’t as strong as they used to be.
"It's about drawing a line in the sand, looking forward to that next World Cup and building a team to try and win it. When you lose a genuine all-rounder in Ben, you are probably always going to feel short in either batting or bowling.
"Now we have time to work out which way we want to go and give guys an opportunity to stake a claim for that place," Buttler added.
