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'We Will Wait And See...,' Jos Buttler On Ben Stokes' Fitness After Crushing Defeat vs NZ

image-lndclebsDevon Conway & Rachin Ravindra steamrolled England (Twitter)

New Zealand delivered a sensational performance against reigning champions England, clinching victory by a substantial nine-wicket margin in the World Cup 2023 opener at Narendra Modi Stadium on Thursday.

New Zealand dominated England in World Cup 2023 opener

Tasked with a challenging target of 283 runs, New Zealand's Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra showcased their brilliance, notching unbeaten centuries with scores of 152 and 123 respectively. The duo's exemplary performance left the English bowling side scrambling for answers and guided the Kiwis to a thumping win

Speaking at the post-match presentation in the aftermath of the defeat, England's captain, Jos Buttler, acknowledged the team's shortcomings. He admitted to being outclassed by the Kiwis and emphasized that while the loss was hard-hitting, the tournament was far from over. Drawing from past experiences, Buttler noted that England has both dominated and been dominated in similar fashion.

“Disappointing day, outplayed by New Zealand, tough to take that defeat. One loss, still a long tournament. Lot of guys in our team have played a lot of cricket. We have beaten teams this way before and we have been beaten like this before as well,” said Buttler




The England skipper further pinpointed the team's inability to apply pressure early on and a lack of clinical execution as areas of concern. Highlighting the minimal margin for error on the pitch, he praised Conway and Ravindra for their commendable partnership.

“Tough to build any pressure with the start they got. We lacked being clinical with our executions. Right shots weren't quite executed. We will keep it positive, can't be too defensive but we weren't clinical in shot selection and execution. Margin for error was very less on that pitch. The two guys played exceptionally well, fantastic partnership we were well beaten,” added the 33-year-old.

In reference to the team's strategy and the conditions, Buttler suggested that the wicket skidded on more smoothly under lights, which is why they wanted to bowl first. On concerns over Joe Root, the English captain assured that he remains a prolific run-scorer across formats.

"Skidded on even better under lights, that's why we wanted to bowl as well. I thought he is back to his old self. Don't think there is any question about Joe. He's a run-maker in any format he plays. (On Ben Stokes) We will wait and see. He is working hard with the physio."

England will now be gearing up for their next challenge against the Netherlands, slated for Monday, October 9, in Hyderabad.