England captain Jos Buttler opens up on unfortunate defeat against Ireland

Jos Buttler (Source: AP)

England crashed to an unfortunate defeat against Ireland in the T20 World Cup 2022 earlier today. 

The Three Lions were adjudged to be five runs behind the par score via the DLS method as rain interrupted the second innings of play. 

Ireland managed to start on the front foot and at one stage it looked like they could set a target of around 200 runs. However, England got back into the game midway through the first innings and restricted the Irish to a score of 157.

With 158 runs to chase, England looked like the favourites, given the kind of talent at their disposal. However, the likes of Ben Stokes, Alex Hales, David Brooks and Jos Buttler failed to get going and the Three Lions found themselves under pressure. 

Moeen Ali and Dawid Malan steadied the ship and gave England the belief that they could go all the way and win the game. However, rain played spoilsport and Ireland were awarded the win for being ahead on the DLS par score. 

Reflecting on the defeat, England captain Jos Buttler said: 

"I think we were poor with the execution and let Ireland get away. We weren't consistent enough with the ball and that played into their hands. We were good in the second half and pegged them back. That was why we bowled first after winning the toss, and with the weather around, it was an obvious decision. We gave away maybe 30 runs more than we should have. 

"The way we bowled in the second half showed Ireland how to bowl here. Myself getting out in the first over didn't help our cause. The rain got heavier and heavier, but we weren't down as we could have made a comeback. But there is a cut-off time for everything. Ireland is a great team. They outplayed us today. Now, the game at MCG against Australia gets even bigger. The pressure will be there. But we need to play as a group and come out on top."

Also Read: T20 World Cup 2022, ENG vs IRE: England suffer heartbreak as rain plays spoilsport