TALK TOUGH AND PLAY TOUGHER

After a demolition of the Aussies, Buttler backs hard-working England to walk the walk when they take on Sri Lanka today

JOS BUTTLER has lifted the lid on how he and England have made such a dominant start to their World Cup campaign.

And it is nothing to do with a never-before-heard-of technique or even a new coaching method that Chris Silverwood has devised.

When it comes to action, not only do England talk the talk... they walk the walk too.

This England group is arguably the best-prepared, smartest-working and wellled squad that has entered a global tournament from these shores.

There are no smoke and mirrors here, just talented players with a hunger to improve and a clear strategy for doing so.

“Imposing ourselves on the opposition is the way we’ve championed trying to play,” said Buttler (above).

“We don’t try and play it safe. So if we talk that way, we have to go out and play that way as well.”

After Buttler had launched one of the all-time great fast bowlers Mitchell Starc into the Dubai night sky for two monster sixes on his way to leading England to victory against Australia, he was asked how things had been able to click so well so far.

“I actually had a great practice the night before,” said Buttler (in action, right).

“Some of the practice wickets have been a bit tricky but last night I managed to have some great practice.

“All the batsmen enjoyed it. It’s nice to put your hands through a few again, have some fun and freedom. We had a lot of fun at training and took that into the game.”

Buttler is an outrageously talented cricketer and he found ‘the zone’ during a not-out innings which helped

England over the line with 50 balls to spare. After they had bowled Australia out for 125, they won by eight wickets to make it three unbeaten in the tournament ahead of today’s match against Sri Lanka.

Like the very best in whatever sport they play, Buttler works incredibly hard to get himself in it. And the way that captain Eoin Morgan has continued to encourage his players to be fearless is clearly paying off.

Buttler said: “It would be fair to say I was in the zone.

“It’s something I try to work on a lot – that mental side of things, try to have complete trust and access that zone. Once you get in that hitting mode, it is kind of just allowing yourself to keep going.

“Sometimes you think, ‘I’ll rein it back in a little bit’ and then you sort of catch yourself being half-hearted or something.”

He even joked that perhaps he should try to bat that way during the upcoming Ashes, with the same trio of Aussie pace bowlers likely to be steaming in.

In energy-sapping heat in the United Arab Emirates, it doesn’t take much for tiredness to kick in and concentration to lapse.

But the way Buttler and his batting partners harried and hustled their way to quick singles and twos – and even a pair of threes – was a sight to behold.

“We want to put the opposition under pressure in all facets of the game with the bat, ball, in the field and the way we run as well,” added Buttler. “We’re an incredibly fit team.

“That gives us another dimension and it’s another area that we can push to hit the level we want to play at.”