He said that ahead of the finals, the thought of losing was always on his mind.
England’s World Cup campaign would go down in history as one of the greatest stories told in cricket, as will their finals match against New Zealand which will be cricket’s greatest game for a long time coming. In the four years prior to their recent World Cup win, the team has experienced its fair share of highs and lows.
All the players had their moments during the World Cup - captain Morgan hitting a record 17 sixes included - especially Ben Stokes whose performance brought back England in the title contention. He was supported by Jos Buttler by scoring a 110-run stand with Stokes, 59 coming from Buttler. He would also take Guptill’s wickets, signaling the start of the English reign over the cricket world.
With his uncanny ability to stop bowling attacks in its tracks, Jos Buttler was one of England’s secret weapon. Things, however, didn’t go according to plan as he struggled throughout the tournament. Apart from scoring a century against Pakistan, he was never able to get back to his usual form until the final game of the tournament. The right-hander has opened up about his mental state during the World Cup.
“I had played in eight finals before Sunday and lost seven of them… I’d played in lots with Somerset, the Champions Trophy with England [in 2013] and when we lost the [World] T20 [final] in Kolkata [in 2016] and I knew how much it hurt watching the other team lift the trophy. I didn’t want to feel that pain and that regret again.”
“What was scaring me was if we lost, I didn’t know how I’d play cricket again. This was such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, a World Cup final at Lord’s. It felt like destiny and I was thinking: ‘If it doesn’t happen, I will have no motivation to pick up a cricket bat for a very long time.’ When I was talking to David, I knew the answers… I knew all I could look after was the stuff I could look after, and I needed to get into my zone, which allows me to perform the best I can. But what happens if it goes wrong?” Buttler further said.
Jos Buttler was part of the pivotal partnership that put England back in the match against New Zealand. It would also be him that would take Guptill's wickets which would earn England the cricket world champion title. To find out more about the ICC Cricket World Cup, visit Betwala's page.
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