England on Saturday (November 4) were officially knocked out of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup with a 33-run defeat at the hands of Australia in Ahmedabad.
The defending champions entered the marquee event with a lot of expectations but it turned out to be a disastrous campaign for them.
The Three Lions have managed to register only one win out of their seven league matches so far. No wonder, skipper Jos Buttler is hurt by the team’s performances.
"It hurts a lot. We certainly haven't done ourselves justice. Wanted to have a real go at it. Incredibly tough to reach those highs (winning in 2019) and everyone knows the work that goes into that. Feel like we've let people down. You wear that on your own shoulders," said Buttler at the post-match presentation.
Chasing 287 to win, England’s innings folded for 253 in 48.1 overs against Australia. While the likes of Ben Stokes (64), Dawid Malan (50) and Moeen Ali (42) scored runs, they failed to take the team over the finishing line.
"Yeah, thought so (on chasing 287), could have been better -- frustrating partnership between Zampa and Starc, could have finished it quicker. Having come up 30 runs short, there's certainly areas we can find those 30 runs," Buttler said.
The England captain also admitted that his own performance hasn’t been up to the mark as well. He scored only 1 against the arch-rivals.
"I think it was the right shot to play, execution was off. Felt that was the time to throw something back at the opposition," he said referring to his mistimed hit that was caught and long off.
"My own form has been the biggest concern. I came in in a great place, but my own form has really hurt us."
The International Cricket Council (ICC) recently announced that the top seven teams in the World Cup 2023 league stage would qualify for the 2025 Champions Trophy, along with hosts Pakistan.
This leaves England in a tough spot since they are currently occupying the last position on the 10-team points table.
With the Champions Trophy qualification at stake, England still have a lot to play for in their remaining two league matches of this World Cup.
"Only way you can get back into form is keep going. The longer it goes on, the closer you are to coming out of it," Buttler said.
(With PTI Inputs)
