"I feel for the players to be honest" - Jos Buttler criticizes England's packed schedule

England white-ball skipper Jos Buttler sympathized with modern-day cricketers and their inability to play all formats due to a packed schedule. The 32-year-old admitted that he would have been frustrated had he been a young player, wanting to feature in all versions of the sport.

Among the players hoping to stake a claim for the 50-over World Cup in India later this year, Harry Brook and Ben Duckett made their ODI debuts in the first ODI against South Africa on Friday. Nevertheless, both are unlikely to feature in the ODI series against Bangladesh, beginning on March 1st, a day after the Test series ends in New Zealand - for which both have earned selections.

England's 15-member squad for their tour of New Zealand in 2023 📝

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Buttler acknowledged the frustration on behalf of the players, forced to stay pigeon-holed as a one-format player, given the packed schedule. As quoted by the Evening Standard, the Lancashire cricketer said:

"I feel for the players to be honest. There are certain players who have the ability to play all three formats but that is kind of impossible because of the schedules. That is a frustration I would have if I was a young player growing up now, that you don’t want to feel pigeon-holed as a player because the schedule doesn’t allow you to play everything."

However, Duckett and Brook failed to create an impact in their 50-over international debut, registering single-figure scores, with the latter making a three-ball duck. England had a bright start to their opening game in Bloemfontein in pursuit of 299 before collapsing for 271.

"We’ve got to use these games here and in Bangladesh to experiment a bit" - Jos Buttler

Buttler revealed that it's critical to give guys like Duckett and Brook exposure in South Africa, given they are unlikely to play in Bangladesh. He added:

"It’s going to be pretty impossible for those guys to be involved in Bangladesh, so it’s really important we expose them here and give them opportunity. We’ve got to use these games here and in Bangladesh to experiment a bit, expose people to playing international cricket. That’s just something we have to manage the whole way through. If we play well, I think we should win games of cricket."

Inside the huddle as @Harry_Brook_88 received his ODI cap! 🧢

Congrats, Brooky! 👏

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England and South Africa will lock horns in the second ODI in Bloemfontein on Sunday, with the hosts hoping to level the series.