England’s limited overs captain Jos Buttler has expressed frustration over the team’s jam-packed schedule, admitting it his made the start of his time as skipper “tough”.
Buttler’s made such a remark in the wake of star all-rounder Ben Stokes’ shocking retirement from ODI cricket. Last week, the 2019 World Cup winner bid farewell to his 50-overs career, citing that playing all three formats in the middle of a tight schedule is ‘unsustainable’ for him.
Buttler spoke on the same issue after the third and final ODI between England and South Africa was called off due to heavy rain in Leeds on Sunday (July 24).
“There’s no getting past the fact that the schedule makes it tough. It’s also a frustration of mine we don’t have any training days. Those training days are really important for that team cohesion, the energy within the group, the fielding drills and the camaraderie around the guys without the pressures of a game,” he said in the post-match interview.
The third ODI at Headingley, Leeds was England’s ninth game in last 18 days.
“A lot of the time around training is when you can do some of your best work, being able to have good conversations and having a feel for where the group is at and not just always being in game mode,” added Buttler.
“To get the highest standard of cricket possible, you need to prepare properly. Hopefully, that’s something we can look at going forward. As a new captain, it would be nice to have that time to bed in and do that work around your players and with your coaches. That’s been a frustration of mine to be truthfully honest.”
