How has Jos Buttler performed in his last 10 ODI innings?
England ODI skipper Jos Buttler will be one of the players to watch out for in the opening encounter of the 2023 World Cup against New Zealand as well as the entire tournament. The wicketkeeper-batter has been a mainstay for the defending champions in the middle order in ODI cricket and is bound to have a massive say in the team's fortunes.
Buttler has represented England in 162 ODIs over the course of his career, scoring 4823 runs at an average of 41.67. He has predominantly batted at No. 6, a position he is likely to persist with at the World Cup, considering England's stacked top and middle order.
When it comes to his recent form, Buttler has done more than enough to strike fear into the opposition bowling camps. He scored a quickfire 30 in England's win over Bangladesh in the warm-up game, but even in official ODIs, he has fared quite well.
He chipped in with a set of cameos in England's series win over New Zealand at home in the leadup to the World Cup. All in all, he has played 10 ODIs in 2023, amassing 548 runs at an average of 60.89 and a strike rate of 110.29.
In the same timeframe, he has scored three fifties, coming in England's bilateral series over South Africa, Bangladesh, and New Zealand. The skipper also scored 131 runs off 127 deliveries in England's win over the Proteas in the third and final ODI.
"We will always try to adapt our style of attacking cricket to whatever surfaces we are playing on" - Jos Buttler
Jos Buttler has been tasked with defending England's World Cup crown and he certainly has the squad to do so. England head into the tournament as one of the favorites and will be looking to hold onto the elusive double of the ODI World Cup and the T20 World Cup crowns for a little while longer.
One of the biggest challenges that England are bound to face in the tournament comes in the form of adapting to the subcontinent wickets. Jos Buttler said in this regard during the captains' press conference ahead of the tournament:
“There will be lots of different wickets we will play on around the country. There can be some of the best batting wickets in the world here. Some of them can be a little bit on the slower side; some can spin. So, reading the conditions quickly will be a big part of the game.”
“There will be lots of different wickets we will play on around the country. There can be some of the best batting wickets in the world here. Some of them can be a little bit on the slower side; some can spin. So, reading the conditions quickly will be a big part of the game,” he added.
England are scheduled to begin their campaign with a clash against New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
Will Jos Buttler guide England to their second ODI World Cup title in 2023? Let us know what you think.