Jos Buttler: I had to lift England even though we had reached the semi-final

In the next must-win game against Sri Lanka, as England’s middle order imploded, Buttler could be seen chewing his nails nervously in the dugout. He looked around him and decided that Chris Jordan, the epitome of cool, would be a good man to stand close to as the tension escalated. Rather Jordan than Mark Wood, a bundle of energy at the best of times and a bundle of nerves at the worst.

Welcome to the world of a cricket captain: all-powerful and in control one minute, helpless and at the mercy of events the next. Add to that the jeopardy of a knockout tournament in a format where upsets are an increasingly regular occurrence – the Netherlands dramatically ended South Africa’s hopes yesterday (Sunday) – and you appreciate how well England’s new one-day captain has been coping, with his form coming good at the right time and his team still in the hunt.

There is the added complication of his predecessor. As the most recent managers of Manchester United would attest, replacing a great leader is no easy task and it has fallen to Buttler to follow Eoin Morgan, the man who transformed England’s one-day cricket. Yet, only six months into the job, Buttler stands two victories away from a World Cup triumph and what would be another high point in a glittering career.

After the match against Sri Lanka, Morgan said on television that he would have been minded to offer some stern words about the performance, it being easier to land some home truths after a win. In the dressing room, Buttler witnessed such disappointment after a scrappy performance that he felt it necessary to remind his team of their achievement in reaching the semi-finals and give them a lift.

“I could see there was so much disappointment in the room, even though we had just won the match. We know we can play better,” he said.

“Given how we were feeling after the Ireland game, to be heading to the semi-final of a World Cup, to get out of a tough group stage, I was proud of that. We only had to win the game on that day, so I wanted to lift them up a bit.”

How did Buttler cope watching those dramatic final moments of the run chase against Sri Lanka, knowing a slip-up meant elimination?

“I find I flutter between having immense amounts of trust in teammates, knowing what great players they are and knowing they will do the job, but knowing also how strange things can happen in cricket, in one-day run chases especially. You know how close you are to getting into something and those contrasting emotions that await, between getting through to a semi-final or being knocked out. It’s on a knife-edge.”

England have been on a knife-edge ever since the defeat to Ireland and Buttler has found having his family in Australia helpful in passing the extended time between engagements. His in-laws are here to help look after his two young daughters, which has allowed him and his wife, Louise, the opportunity to walk around these great cities and discover excellent coffee shops. Simple pleasures.

“Ahead of that New Zealand game especially, I just found a bit of time on my own to walk and think,” he said.

Most captains find, with leadership, the game increasingly consumes them and Buttler is no exception. “There are more things that you have an influence over and that’s what makes it so enjoyable – that you have a chance to shape things your way – but with that comes extra responsibility, too. There’s been a few times when I’ve struggled to get to sleep or I’ll wake up in the middle of the night thinking about something.

“I’ve always written things down. We all care, don’t we? That’s the thing as captain. We all care. Not just for yourself any more; you’re caring for everyone who is in the playing XI and those who are unfortunately missing out. That level of care goes up.”

When I put it to Buttler that he seems something of a reluctant leader, someone who could quite easily forgo the extra responsibility, he disagrees.

“I don’t crave it, but I am very much enjoying the challenge. I’m not the loudest guy in the room but I’m not shy of leading and if I feel I’ve got something to say I’ve never been shy of saying it, whether captain or not.

“That just comes from caring about the teams I play in. I want to win. So I’ve never understood withholding information or an opinion if you feel you can make that team better. We are all responsible for our team, whether you’re playing your first game or your hundredth. I’m enjoying the challenge, enjoying learning, enjoying having to think about things I might not have done before.

“On-the-field stuff is where I feel most comfortable. I feel I know the game and I can trust my instincts and the preparation I’ve done. I look at the numbers and the analysis to make sure I’m not going to be surprised and if there’s an edge to gain that’s important. But I think the skill is in looking into the data. What does it mean? Are there certain biases in the numbers?

“On the field it’s really important to react to the stuff in front of you and trust your gut feel. Having batted on the surface against New Zealand, I instinctively thought Moeen should bowl that first over. Against Sri Lanka, I think I should have gone to spin earlier, actually.”

I wondered whether, as captain, he finds it harder to be ultra-aggressive from the start of the innings; whether the potential for a low score or two could introduce a note of caution into his game? He disagrees: “It makes it easier. I know my role in the team and it is really important I play the way I ask others to play and show an example. I don’t want to be speaking one way and playing another.

“I feel I can play in a lot of different ways in T20 cricket. I’ll always try to adapt to the situation, but I’ll always fall on the positive side. It’s really important I play my role with the bat and don’t feel the added pressure of captaincy. We pick 11 players to fulfil a role and we obviously have a lot of batting and all-rounders, which allows us to be aggressive at the top of the order.”

Having beaten New Zealand and Sri Lanka, a semi-final in Adelaide against India awaits and, for the first time for England, perhaps, a sense of occasion. The tournament has suffered from bad weather, but also from coming so soon on the back of the last T20 World Cup. Nevertheless, it will be hard to play down the importance of a semi-final, with all the hoopla that always attends a World Cup match with India.

Buttler knows the India players well through the Indian Premier League, which has given him first-hand knowledge of the daily pressures that their players operate under. “It’s quite amazing how well they deal with it,” he said. “They’ve grown accustomed to it, so it won’t be anything new to them.

“They are a brilliant team and Rohit Sharma is a brilliant captain who I think has asked them to play more positively and with more freedom. Someone like Suryakumar Yadav embodies that; in any situation he is ultra-aggressive. So it looks like they know what they are about, even though there’s always that external pressure.”

Buttler played with Rohit at Mumbai Indians for two seasons. “I was a bit young in my IPL journey, but tactically I thought he was very good, making good decisions but not always the obvious ones,” he said. “He has that sense of calm when everything around him is going on at a million miles an hour. A bit like when he bats, he makes it look pretty effortless.”

Another player Buttler will come up against is Ravichandran Ashwin. They are teammates at Rajasthan Royals but they have history, Ashwin having “Mankaded” Buttler in the 2019 IPL. Will Buttler warn his players about staying their ground, given Ashwin’s noted views on the dismissal?

“Yeah, absolutely. We all have different views on that mode of dismissal, but it is certainly something he sees very much as fair game. So we’ve got to make sure we don’t get out like that and it’s the batters’ responsibility; it can’t happen if we’re in the crease. Obviously, he’s a fantastic player, skilful, really inquisitive guy, fierce competitor and a deep thinker about the game.”

With that last sentence Buttler could have been describing himself: he is surely England’s best-ever one-day batsman and now is two matches away from becoming a World Cup-winning captain as well.

– Jos Buttler is an ambassador for Booking.com, the official accommodation booking partner of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022

– The Times

Originally published as Jos Buttler: I had to lift England even though we had reached the semi-final