New Delhi, India
Veteran England all-rounder Ben Stokes has backed Jos Buttler to retain his job as the white-ball captain despite India hammering in the ongoing 2024 T20 World Cup. Stokes decided against playing at the showpiece event in the Americas to prolong his Test career but called Jos 'still the right man' to lead England in ODIs and T20Is.
Meanwhile, the defending champions crashed out after a 68-run loss to India in the second semi-final in Guyana.
“Jos is the man to lead that white-ball team forward,” Stokes said in a chat with BBC Sport. “He is a great leader. He’s got the respect of all the team members in the dressing room.”
The loss to India hurt England in a big way, with the local media speculating about Buttler and head coach Matthew Mott’s future. While Stokes pressed Buttler’s case as the skipper in the white-ball formats, he also backed Mott to help England prosper in partnership with Jos.
Having led England to two world titles during 2019 and 2022, Stokes knows the pressure of the occasion, adding England must be proud of how they played and made it this far in the tournament.
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The Three Lions began their tournament poorly, drawing to Scotland and losing to Australia in their first two games. Wins against minnows like Oman and Namibia helped them qualify for the Super 8s, where they won two out of three matches, losing to finalists South Africa. Thanks to a magnificent outing against the co-hosts West Indies, England qualified for the last four only to suffer an embarrassing defeat at the hands of another unbeaten unit, India.
“They have done a great job in getting to another major semi-final,” Stokes said. “Being part of the sport is about growing and progressing your side. It’s not shabby to say you got through to a World Cup semi-final.”
Stokes praises India
While praising the Men in Blue, Stokes said India is an outstanding outfit, and with what the pitch had to offer in the second semi-final, they were almost unbeatable there.
Stokes also talked highly of how England pulled themselves up following a shabby start to the tournament, though he admitted not liking rain deciding a game’s result.
“It’s an interesting format, the T20 World Cup, one I’m not a huge fan of because teams can go through or not go through potentially because of a weather situation,” Stokes continued. “When England were put under pressure, especially at the back end of the group stages, they showed what a good team they were.
"India are a very good team, especially in the conditions that pitch offered. It gave India a huge advantage,” Stokes added.
Meanwhile, Stokes will be back in action during the upcoming three-match Tests against West Indies, starting on July 10 in Lord’s.
(With inputs from agencies)