Ashes 2021-22 | We are not gelling as a group and individually playing well enough, says Jos Buttler
Jos Buttler has scored only 96 runs from three Ashes fixtures so far
|Jos Buttler has said that the team is not gelling well enough as a group and their individual performances have also been average throughout the series. He further added that there is a sense of disappointment and frustration within the team after losing the first three matches of the series.
Ashes 2021-22 have been completely dominated by Australia who are leading by 3-0 and have already retained the trophy. England have looked completely shattered throughout the series as they lost all the fixtures without putting up a fight. Their bowling department has not fared well enough. Joe Root has batted comfortably and Dawid Malan has also played well to some extent but no batsman other than these two have made their mark in the series.Â
Reflecting on their performance in the series so far England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler has said that the team is not gelling as a group and haven’t played well enough individually.Â
"There's an overriding sense of disappointment and frustration with the situation we've found ourselves in. We've not competed or played the cricket we wanted to at the start of the tour. We're not gelling as a group and individually playing well enough to compete with Australia. We certainly don't want to be a team to lose 5-0,” Buttler said, reported Cricbuzz.
Buttler has also put up a disappointing performance in the series so far. He has scored only 96 runs from three matches with an average of 19.20. In the Adelaide Test, he played a resistant knock facing 207 balls for his 26. However, in Melbourne when England was in need of a partnership he was caught at mid-wicket against the bowling of Nathan Lyon in the first innings. Also, Buttler dropped a few catches in the series which also hurt chances of England’s win. He said that he wanted to be attacking and positive but wasn’t able to execute it. Â
"In hindsight, just before a tea break is obviously a poor time to get out, but I wanted to be attacking and positive in that innings. Mid-on and mid-off were up. I saw that as an opportunity to score, I didn't execute that. That's all it is,” he explained.Â
"It's a very lonely place dropping a catch. It's one of the worst feelings in cricket, letting down your mates. It doesn't just hurt you, it hurts the whole team. You've certainly got to be able to be very strong with your character to try to come through that. Especially when you're wicketkeeping, there's nowhere to hide."
Buttler also revealed that family support has maintained his drive and ambition to try to make it all worth it.Â
"It's certainly my ambition. I don't think I'd have put as much into it as I have done if it wasn't. I have fantastic family support - they're very supportive of me and my career and make a lot of sacrifices for that. That's one thing that gives you a lot of motivation and drive to try to make it all worth it. It's certainly maintained my drive and ambition to try and play,” he concluded.Â
