Sports
Buttler backs England to bounce back against South Africa in key clash
Both sides go into the match after unexpected defeats denting their semis hopes
October 21, 2023 | 12:19 AM
England have moved on from their shock 69-run loss to Afghanistan at the World Cup according to captain Jos Buttler as they prepare face a South Africa side that suffered a similar stunning defeat by the Netherlands this week. The heavyweights clash in Mumbai today, with the two teams licking their wounds from setbacks that have put a dent in their semi-final hopes although England have Ben Stokes back.It makes the fixture crucial for both to recover and get their campaign back on track, with the loser facing a potentially uphill battle to make the final four."We have moved on and had some good conversations and the energy and hunger around practice has been very high," Buttler told reporters on Friday. "They (South Africa) have been playing some really good cricket, their top six is really strong and they have pace with the ball. Both teams like (to face) pace on the ball, so it should really be a fascinating contest."England will welcome the return of all-rounder Stokes, who missed their opening three World Cup matches with a hip injury. "Ben has trained really well and it is always good to see him back. He brings a lot on the field with his presence and leadership skills. He is always someone to turn too and adds a lot of value," Buttler said.The way forward for England is to be positive with bat and ball, says Buttler, and play the style of cricket that won them the World Cup on home soil in 2019. The conditions in Mumbai should allow for that."It is a fantastic cricket wicket, so it should suit us," he said. "We want to find ways to make a play and put the opposition under pressure. That doesn’t always mean hitting fours and sixes. It means can we push back when the opposition is on top and take the initiative in different ways. We know we won’t always win but if we can stick to the way we like to play cricket and get the best version of that, we know that is the best chance we have of getting a positive result."South Africa wary of Stokes ‘x-factor’Meanwhile, South Africa are expecting a batter’s paradise at the Wankhede Stadium, with Proteas also needing to bounce back from unexpected defeat against the Netherlands."The guys that have played here before have spoken about how it can be a batter’s paradise. You get value for your shots and the ball seems to travel further," South Africa captain Temba Bavuma told reporters on Friday. "It can build a lot of confidence. And if it is your day, you can fill your boots."Both teams have excellent hitters in their top six, with the return of Stokes a big plus for England. "He is an x-factor player," Bavuma said. "He is a guy that can change the course of the game and is someone we have covered in our preparation. We know we are going to have to be at the top of our game to get him unstuck."South Africa were poor at the back end of their bowling effort against Netherlands and then started tentatively with the bat as they succumbed to a 38-run loss. "We’ve had hard conversations as a team and where things went wrong for us from a batting, bowling and fielding point of view. We’ve put that behind us," Bavuma said."We also acknowledge the fact that in the last couple of months, we have played a lot of good cricket. So it’s not to overlook that and allow one ‘blip’ in our game to override everything that we’ve done. "It’s easy to second-guess yourselves, second-guess your processes and your game, so it’s not to forget all the good work that we’ve done."Head-to-head recordLast 10 meetings(Date, Venue, Result)30/05/2019, The Oval, London, England won by 104 runs04/02/2020, Cape Town, South Africa won by 7 wkts07/02/2020, Durban, No Result09/02/2020, Johannesburg, England won by 2 wickets19/07/2022, Durham, South Africa won by 62 runs22/07/2022 Manchester England won by 118 runs24/07/2022, Leeds, No Result27/01/2023, Bloemfontein, South Africa won by 27 runs29/01/2023 Bloemfontein South Africa won by 5 wkts01/02/2023, Kimberley, England won by 59 runsOverallEngland wins: 30South Africa wins: 33Tied: 1No result: 5
October 21, 2023 | 12:19 AM