ICC T20 WORLD CUP 2022

October 21, 2022

Jos Buttler

Perth Stadium

England

Pre Match Media Conference

Q. The day before your first game, do you have a team for us?

JOS BUTTLER: No, not yet, but I think we have a good idea. We have plenty of options as to whichever way we want to go, as well.

Yeah, I think we can go in a multitude of ways, and I'm very confident in the team. We've got some great options. Good headaches to have.

Q. Has it been difficult to settle on that final 11 because you have so many choices that you can make?

JOS BUTTLER: Yeah, absolutely. Good problem to have, I think. Guys who have performed very well over the recent past, some world-class players coming back into the team, back from injuries, as well, which is where you want to be as a team. I think that drives performance on. When you've got good players who miss out, that's generally the sign of a team that's going in the right direction.

Q. Even if you can't give us the names, can you maybe enlighten us on the balance and which way you're thinking in terms of extra batter or extra bowler? I suppose that's the key.

JOS BUTTLER: Yeah, I don't think we're sort of set on one particular way at the minute, and I think that could change throughout the tournament, as well. I don't think we have to stick to a certain balance and that's the only way we'll go. That could change game on game, wherever we play or whichever opposition we play against.

We're very fortunate to have a number of our best batters, our genuine allrounders, as well. We're all fit with the ball, as well, so that gives you plenty of options and absolutely gives you that luxury to go either way with an extra batter or bowler.

Q. You've had 10 competitive fixtures in the last month, trending upwards after a disappointing summer. Is this as ready as you'll ever be for a World Cup?

JOS BUTTLER: Yeah, we're in a good spot. I think everyone is chomping at the bit to get going now. We've had some really good games, like you said, over those last 10 matches and played some really good cricket. Leading into the tournament, we're very ready.

Q. Do you go into this tournament as favourites do you think?

JOS BUTTLER: No, far from it, to be honest. I think we're a dangerous team. We've got a lot of talented players who can win games on their own, and that's a huge thing in T20 cricket.

It's hard to pick favourites, I guess. If you had to choose one, it's probably Australia in their own conditions being reigning champions.

But no, I think throughout the qualifying stages, a bit of the tournament, as well, you've seen anyone can beat anyone, and I think that will be the same throughout the next phase of the tournament, as well.

Q. Just how big a blow was it to lose Reece Topley, one of your most flexible bowlers who can bowl at any point in the innings. How difficult is that to replace?

JOS BUTTLER: Yeah, it's really tough, and especially tough on Reece himself. I think it's been -- we're all so bitterly disappointed for him. The amount of setbacks he's had already in his career, and to come back and be in the position he's in on the eve of a tournament being in such great form, and to have that cruley taken away from him is really tough. We're all really disappointed for him, and fingers crossed he'll get back fit as soon as possible and get back.

Q. Jos, we've seen totals of around 150, 160 in the first round. Are you looking to push the bar with the kind of cricket you guys have played?

JOS BUTTLER: You've just got to score one more than the other team. I think that's what we're focused on.

Each venue will be different. I think if you try and talk about how you're going to play or what scores you're aiming for, cricket doesn't allow you to do that. You've got to work it out on the day, what the conditions tell you in front of you, play accordingly, and try and beat the opposition.

Q. It feels like you've built momentum in the last few games the last couple of months. Does the mood in camp feel any different than it did in the summer?

JOS BUTTLER: Probably just more settled. I think that's probably the main difference. Obviously there's quite a lot of change of coach, a change of captain, and not really sort of settled coaching staff, as well.

So I think you have a bit of time for everything to bed in, and I think that's been the main change. The squad feels very relaxed. It seems in a really good place. As I said, there's no great expectations on the group, but there's a lot of talent in the team.

We're feeling in a good spot.

Q. Do you feel like you've got your feet fully under the table now as captain?

JOS BUTTLER: Yeah, absolutely. I think I mention it to the players a lot; this is very much a new era for the English white ball team. I think lots of us have played in that past era, but it's very much about looking forward all the time now for this group; how do we want to play as a team; what do we need to do in the next game and the next game after that and not spend too much energy looking backwards.

I think it's really important to be that forward-facing kind of team, talk about the future a lot, and that starts with tomorrow.

Q. How tough an opponent do you consider Afghanistan to be, and do you think their spinners could pose a big threat?

JOS BUTTLER: Yeah, I see them as a really tough opponent. You look through their team, there's some fantastic players. Any side with Rashid Khan in T20 cricket is going to have a big say. We give them huge respect, and we look forward to a really competitive game.

Q. How is Chris Woakes? Is there some doubt? Has he got to get through training to be considered, as well?

JOS BUTTLER: Yeah, I think he's feeling good. He's obviously a key player for us. He's not someone you'd want to take a big risk on. But no, he's feeling good. Obviously he'll take full part in training today and hopefully pull up well.

Q. How did you find the conditions when you played Australia here, and do you think that suits your team?

JOS BUTTLER: Yeah, we enjoyed playing here. I think it's a great stadium. It's a good cricket wicket I think for both bat and ball. It offers a lot. Yeah, I think it sort of gives you a chance to play some exciting cricket. Obviously the dimensions and stuff you have to get used to and be smart with that both with the bat and ball, but yeah, again, we'll see how the pitch reacts. Those first couple overs are really important in trying to sort of gain information and assess a pitch. We'll try and do that tomorrow.

I think a few guys have played here throughout the Big Bash and that kind of thing and had experience, and just a really good cricket wicket.

Q. Will your quicks, especially Mark Wood, target Afghanistan with the short ball? They seem to have perhaps maybe a little bit of a weakness there.

JOS BUTTLER: Well, you're only allowed one bouncer an over, aren't you, so you can't bowl any more than that. Again, it's about seeing what's in front of you and bowling the lengths that you need to. I don't think it's something to get carried away with, especially I think a lot of the time if you can bowl top of the stumps length against anyone, that's generally a good place to start.

Q. You're obviously keen to look forward. I just wondered what you might have learnt from last year's experience where the team obviously did very well to get to the semifinals and looked very strong but didn't get any further. Is there anything you can take that you learn from that to help you in this tournament?

JOS BUTTLER: Only just how ruthless the format is, to be honest, and how much importance there is on every single game. I think South Africa didn't go through from our group, having won four out of five games. It's a really tough format. It's incredibly competitive, and we know that, and we expect that.

Just to be fully focused on each individual game, I think, is the biggest key from the way the tournament is set up.

Q. The fact that the tournament is in Australia and it also brings back the bowlers into the picture compared to say the UAE tournament, how much does that give England and teams like Australia an edge on the other teams?

JOS BUTTLER: I think there's a lot of fantastic bowlers throughout the whole tournament, and like I say, guys who adapt to the conditions well. I know there's probably a bit of weather around throughout the tournament, as well, so you might not get conditions you potentially expect, as well.

I'm sure the bowlers like the size of the boundaries in Australia. I think that's one thing. You play in some grounds in India, for example, which can be very tough on the bowlers with the distance of the boundaries. I think that's one of the things, and it's how can you be smart to use that, and I think there's plenty of good bowlers in the tournament.