Jos Buttler lauded Shai Hope for his match-winning century in Antigua.
England captain Jos Buttler opened up about his poor form with the bat and said that it's been a while since he performed well as a batter after his team’s four-wicket loss to the West Indies in the first ODI on December 3.
Buttler mentioned that he needs to work hard and have faith for a turnaround, as he could manage only three runs off 13 balls in the first ODI against the West Indies in Antigua.
In the match which was played at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, West Indies earned a thrilling victory over England in the three-match ODI series, thanks to their skipper Shai Hope's 16th ODI century.
Buttler has been going through a tough time in the ODIs lately. He only scored 141 runs in the last 10 innings at an average of 14.10, with his highest score being 43. In the recent Cricket World Cup, he managed only 138 runs in nine innings with an average of 15.33.
Unfortunately, his struggles with the bat played a part in England's forgettable World Cup 2023 campaign, where they won only three out of nine matches in India.
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Jos Buttler said in the post-match interview as quoted by Sky Sports: “You always want to play well and it's been a little while since I have played well. I just need to work hard and trust that it will come back.”
Speaking about the game and Hope’s match-winning ton, the England captain said: “Fantastic game of cricket. A lot of credit goes to Shai Hope. We asked a lot of questions of them but they played really well towards the end. Thought it was a fantastic batting effort (from England), really loved the intent that the guys came out with.”
Buttler signed off by saying, “The wicket was a bit tricky in the middle, they bowled well and slowed it up but it was a great effort. A brilliant game of cricket, credit to Shai Hope and Shepherd, it was fantastic hitting and we will learn a lot from that. We did some things well, lot to take out of it, we're looking forward to the next.”
(With ANI Inputs)