It was time to put in a performance: Buttler delighted to regain form

PTI, Dec 7, 2023, 10:30 AM IST

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England skipper Jos Buttler said he was ”fed up” with his woeful run of form and that it was time to get back to being ”the player that I know I am” by putting up a solid performance with the bat.

The wicketkeeper batter, who struggled with the bat all throughout the ODI World Cup, scored his first half century since September — an unbeaten 58 off 45 balls to guide England to a series-levelling six-wicket victory over hosts West Indies in the second ODI here on Wednesday.

”I’ve been searching for form. I have had moments where it has been frustrating,” Buttler was quoted as saying by the ‘BBC’.

”I was getting fed up with it so it was time to put in a performance and get back to the player that I know I am,” he added.

Ahead of the second ODI Buttler had been dismissed for five single digit scores in eight outings. But the match-winning knock on Wednesday made him the fifth England batter to cross the 5,000-run mark in ODIs.

”Really pleasing. I’ve been playing for a while now so it’s great when you get to those milestones after playing for a long period of time. It’s been a frustrating time recently.” Buttler had taken over the reins as white-ball skipper from World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan last year.

Under his leadership, England won the T20 World Cup last year.

However, defending champions England made an embarrassing early exit from the ODI World Cup last month, finishing seventh to just qualify for the 2025 Champions Trophy.