WE’RE JOS FLAT OUT OF ENERGY
JOS BUTTLER was left bemoaning training days and raining days after admitting England fell flat in their series finale at Headingley.
Proceedings were washed out midway through the South Africa innings. Only 27.4 overs were possible as the Proteas cruised to 159-2 with the dangerous but highly watchable Quinton de Kock left hanging on 92 not out when the game was eventually abandoned. Not enough to force a result but enough for Buttler to assess his team’s lack of energy, nine games into a white-ball stretch of 12 games in 24 days.
He said: “We didn’t have quite the same intensity we had on Friday night. In theory it sounds easy. It’s one-all and you’re playing a series decider but there’s no getting past the schedule makes things tough.
“It’s also a frustration we don’t have training days. Training days are important for team cohesion, energy within the group, fielding drills, camaraderie without the pressure of a game – vital to high performance.”