England white-ball skipper Jos Buttler has expressed his disappointment over the team's packed schedule, saying it's frustrating to see the boys not getting enough training days for "team cohesion" and "camaraderie".
Buttler’s comment came in the wake of Ben Stokes’ shocking retirement from ODIs. Last week, the England all-rounder called time on his 50-over career, citing that playing all three formats amid a busy schedule is "unsustainable" for him.
Jos Buttler too spoke on the same lines after England’s third ODI against South Africa got abandoned due to rain 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.
The third ODI at Headingley was England's ninth white-ball fixture in 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," Buttler was quoted as saying by Daily Mail.
"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."
(With IANS inputs)
