Jos Buttler supported Ben Stokes to lead England to the top of the Test rankings despite a 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia this winter.
England were riddled with mistakes in the first three Tests, played in Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide, and their lean preparation and aggressive style of cricket led to them losing the Ashes in just 11 days of cricket. In addition, he was criticized for being photographed drinking during a beach break in Noosa midway through the series.
A two-day victory in the Boxing Day match at the MCG, England’s first Test win in Australia in 15 years, ended any danger of a 5-0 tie, but they then lost the final game of the series in Sydney, their 14th defeat in their last 28 matches.
But Butler still believes Stokes is the man who can turn England’s fortunes around.
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Ben Stokes is determined to remain England captain despite Ashes defeat
“It’s been a disappointing and frustrating campaign for the players,” Butler told Sky Sports News. “I think everyone thought this team going to Australia had a real chance to win now and they’re going to be frustrated that things didn’t go to plan.
“But I think the players at the top, and knowing Ben as much as I do, will take some time to assess what happened, what we wish we could have done a little bit differently, what we need to improve on, what are actually the real key pillars of the team and do they really need to stick with what they’ve done so well over the years and build on it even more?”
“I think they’ll take some time to consider that. I know Ben very well – I’ve played a lot of cricket with him since I was little – and I think his determination and desire and passion to take the team forward and improve and take us to the number one Test team in the world will be stronger than ever after this tour.”
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Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain analyze England’s 4-1 Ashes defeat to Australia
Ahead of the series, Sir Ian Botham, Jeffrey Boycott and Michael Vaughan were among those to criticize England’s minimal preparation in Australia. That game consisted of a solitary Red-White game against the Lions as their only pre-series conditioning, with Stokes labeling them “experienced.”
The captain later apologized, saying, “What I said was completely wrong.” Head coach Brendon McCullum also admitted it had been a mistake to play just one warm-up match at the Lilac Hill venue after the series loss and before the first Test in Perth, although they could never recreate the bouncy conditions they were supposed to face against Australia.
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Brendon McCullum wants to remain England head coach despite 4-1 loss to Ashes
“In modern cricket, it’s very difficult to prepare like in previous tours. So I think they tried to make the most of what they had,” Butler reasoned.
“At the end of the day, it’s about the results. I think it’s very easy to blame certain things when you don’t get the results you want. You end up with a lot of preparation, planning, a lot of things that tie your hands. You don’t really have that many options to prepare for. It’s not a blank canvas.”
“Unfortunately, in this day and age, most touring venues have to prepare with very short introductions to in-house games and series.
“At the end of the day, it’s all about the result. If the team had gotten the result they wanted, they would have been praised for their preparation and planning.
“Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned so things like that are called into question, but that’s part of being involved in top-level sport.”
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Jos Buttler told Sky Sports News he “can’t wait” for The Hundred to start after Manchester Super Giants unveiled their new team logo.
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