"I hope so": Buttler on finding place in England's white-ball squads after horrible T20 WC 2026
London, March 18
England veteran batter Jos Buttler expressed hope for getting picked in the Three Lions' squad in their upcoming white-ball series against the touring Indian side in July, but also acknowledged that there is no certainty that he will find a place after a terrible T20 World Cup 2026 campaign with the bat.
Jos Buttler scored only 87 runs in eight innings at the T20 World Cup 2026. England, led by Harry Brook, bowed out of the tournament after facing a semifinal defeat to eventual winners India.
Speaking on his podcast 'For the Love of Cricket', Jos Buttler admitted he is unsure about his selection in England's squads for the T20Is and ODIs against India in July, but remains hopeful, acknowledging his poor T20 WC 2026.
"I hope so. I don't know. Obviously I had a poor tournament, which is disappointing, but I've been playing some of the best cricket of my [career] in recent years, so hopefully I can get back to playing my best," Buttler said on his podcast, 'For the Love of Cricket.'
Jos Buttler said he still has the ambition to play for England but accepts that selection is out of his control.
"I certainly have ambitions [to continue playing for England] but no longer being a captain, I'm not a selector and whatever, so what will be will be. Yeah, we will see," he said.
Speaking on his poor T20 WC 2026 form, Buttler said he isn't entirely sure what went wrong but said that despite putting in full effort, things simply didn't click for him.
"There's elements [to what went wrong] that I actually don't really know exactly. For all your best intentions and hard work and efforts to perform, it just didn't work, and sometimes that's okay as well. That's something I've had to realise. It wasn't for a lack of effort. It just didn't quite happen," he said.
— ANI
Reader Comments
As a cricket fan living in India now, I feel for him. Form is temporary, class is permanent. He single-handedly won them the 2022 T20 WC! One bad tournament shouldn't define a career. Hope he gets another shot.
Honestly, it's good for Team India if he plays! 😅 Our bowlers have figured him out lately. But on a serious note, he's a great player to watch. The July series will be fire either way!
This is the problem with overseas leagues like IPL. Players get so tired and lose form for their national teams. Buttler plays full IPL seasons and then has nothing left for England. Just my two paise.
His humility is refreshing. Many stars would make excuses. Accepting that "it just didn't work" shows maturity. England's middle order needs experience against Bumrah & co. in July. They should pick him.
Yaar, 87 runs in 8 innings is really poor for a player of his calibre. But he's been a servant to English cricket. Maybe give him a farewell series at home? Let the fans say goodbye properly.
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