"Don't think I've ever seen him in this kind of form" - Nasser Hussain on Jos Buttler's struggles in 2023 World Cup
Former England captain Nasser Hussain has observed that Jos Buttler's dip in form is a significant reason behind the national team's struggles in the 2023 World Cup.
Buttler, one of the most destructive batters in the white-ball format, has not managed to get past fifty in the 2023 World Cup. The 33-year-old has scored just 111 runs in eight matches at a woeful average of 13.88. He registered another single-figure score on Wednesday against the Netherlands.
Speaking to Sky Sports, here's what Hussain had to say about Buttler's form in the 2023 World Cup:
"Buttler is just horribly out of nick. I don't think I've ever seen him in this kind of form - either in a Lancashire shirt, a Somerset shirt, or an England shirt. He is England's best white-ball player. So if you're asking me what is one of the major reasons why the team haven't done well, it's because he's had a drop of form like we've never seen before."
The cricketer-turned-commentator sympathized with the England skipper, given the hard yards he has been putting in the nets.
"When you're going to a player, like today with Liam Livingstone, and saying 'we're leaving you out mate', you'd want to be getting runs yourself when making those decisions. He's netting hard, working hard, his body language is pretty good around the team but he just can't buy a run at the moment. We all forget what it's like being out of nick. Your brain is completely scrambled."
The defending champions dropped Liam Livingstone from the playing XI against the Dutch. The spin-bowling all-rounder has also been out of nick, managing just 60 runs in six games.
"You need to be at 100 percent if you're going to beat some of the top nations" - Nasser Hussain
Hussain also acknowledged England's wobble against the Dutch and said that a better side would have made them pay. He added:
"They [England] were good. But there was some sloppiness in the field. You need to be at 100 percent if you're going to beat some of the top nations on a consistent basis. And that collapse again. Other sides, better sides than the Netherlands, will make you pay for that. They can't seem to stop the collapse while it's happening, and it took that last-chance-saloon partnership of Stokes and Woakes to save them."
Ben Stokes got a reprieve and went on to muster a century on Wednesday in Pune. The all-rounder top-scored with 108 and shared a 129-run partnership with Chris Woakes. England eventually scored 339 and won by 160 runs.