England set their sights on success

JOS Buttler marvelled at England’s white-ball journey in the last few years as they attempt to lay the ghosts of Adelaide 2015 to rest in their T20 World Cup semi-final against India.

Buttler admitted a loss to Bangladesh here that confirmed a humiliating 50-over World Cup group stage exit seven years ago has been discussed among England’s senior players upon their return to the city.

The current set-up includes several individuals who featured on that dark day for English cricket, including Buttler, but the setback marked a watershed moment for their limited-overs fortunes.

Eoin Morgan ushered in a stunning transformation before passing on the reins to Buttler, and England are now just two wins away from becoming the first side to hold both ODI and T20 World Cups simultaneously.

“We’ve actually just been talking about that (Bangladesh game) in the dressing room,” Buttler said. “Anytime you go back to certain grounds, there’s some memories and not always good ones, unfortunately.

“It was a real line-in-the-sand moment in English white-ball cricket and to be now in a semifinal and going to tournaments with a level of expectation that we should perform well is a great place to be.

“It’s been clear to see the change in mindset of English cricket towards the white-ball game and especially the way we’ve played. It’s given us better results.

“That gives us a lot of trust in that process that it works. It seems an ingrained way of playing now in English cricket. So it’s been a fantastic journey to be involved in.”

Today’s winners will face Pakistan in the final after Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan hit top form in a timely fashion as they overcame New Zealand by seven wickets at Sydney.