World Cup 2023: We’ve been short of our standards – Jos Buttler after loss against Sri Lanka

England skipper Jos Buttler admitted they have been short of their standards in the ongoing World Cup 2023 after their eight-wicket loss against Sri Lanka at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on Thursday. After electing to bat first, England was skittled out for a paltry score of 156 runs on a decent batting track.

England kept losing wickets at regular intervals and could not show any resistance with the bat. The Three Lions haven’t turned up in the ongoing ODI showpiece and it was another off day for them in Bengaluru.

Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, and Ben Stokes all got off to starts but none of them could convert them into substantial scores. England have failed to bring their best despite having all the experience in their team and they have lacked as a whole in the four matches they have lost.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka lost two early wickets but Pathum Nissanka and in-form Sadeera Samarawickrama scored 77 and 65 runs respectively to help their team chase down the below-par target in 25.4 overs to give their NRR a major boost. Both the batters batted with aplomb and English bowlers could not apply any kind of pressure as they didn’t have enough runs on the board.

Jos Buttler said in the post-match presentation, “It’s incredibly tough. As a captain, you feel that a lot – disappointed with myself and the boys that we’ve not shown our best. We’re playing a long way short of our best. There’s a lot of really experienced cricketers in the room. You don’t become a bad team overnight. That’s the frustration. We’ve been so far short of our best, and there’s no particular reason. Can’t put my finger on it.”

He added, “Selection is something you want to be consistent with. Selection hasn’t been our problem. We’ve been short of our standards. Lots of the dismissals – Root’s run out – you don’t see that kind of mistakes from us. Haven’t been building partnerships. Not doing the basic things well with both bat and ball. The biggest thing is personal pride. The standards we set for ourselves. Rest of the matches we want to get back to playing good cricket. Whatever will be will be.”

England will next take on India at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow in the 29th match of the ongoing World Cup 2023 on Sunday.