Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
AUSTRALIA v ENGLAND WE’LL RISE FROM THE ASHES
Buttler tips the Morgan one-day side to lift England after debacle of Test series
ENGLAND believe they will put their Ashes nightmare behind them and banish memories of a previous debacle in Australia when they switch to the one-day game.
The 2015 World Cup tournament was a nadir for England, who stank the place out in winning just two games – against associate nations Scotland and Afghanistan.
But they have revitalised their short-game fortunes under skipper Eoin Morgan and coach Trevor Bayliss, and expectations of a series win are now much higher than they were for the Ashes.
Having been a part of the side dumped out of the tournament two years ago by Bangladesh in Adelaide, Jos Buttler is looking forward to showing the Aussie crowds just how much has changed since then.
England are involved in a warm-up game against a Cricket Australia XI today and start the one-day series in Melbourne on Sunday.
“It’s a great thing for English cricket that people see us coming here and having a real chance of competing and winning the series,” said Buttler.
“The strides we’ve made as a side are such that around the world we’re being taken seriously as a one-day outfit.
“That’s a feather in the cap and we need to now go and take them on.
“It’s great to have been a part of a big change in mentality. We were trying back then but we couldn’t grasp it and commit to it.
“I think in 2015 it was obvious where we were. We were trying.
“We just did not quite grasp it and it always felt we had the handbrake on a little bit.
“Now that has been taken off, there are different guys around who have brought their own freedom to international cricket.”
This is where Bayliss does his best work in freeing up players to express themselves and take risks without a fear of failure.
It is not a guarantee of success but England’s oneday side have a realistic chance of beating the current world champions in their backyard with a strong spine to their team.
Morgan (below) will miss Ben Stokes, just as Joe Root did during the Ashes series, but there is plenty of firepower to make up for that, not least from Buttler who has been putting in star turns in the Big Bash and will earn his 100th cap in Melbourne on Sunday.
Buttler added: “It will be a proud day to play 100 games and hopefully there’s plenty more to come yet.
“I have really enjoyed my cricket.
“I feel like I have learned a lot about playing in different conditions, a lot about my own game and what to keep working on.
“I wanted to win and do well for Sydney Thunder but it has doubled up as preparation for being in Australia.
“I felt in good touch so I am looking forward to the
series.”