England captain Jos Buttler previews their 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup opener against New Zealand. The tournament held in India starts on Thursday, England are defending champions
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00:00 No, I don't. Four years ago is a long time.
00:05 Fantastic match with New Zealand and we've had some fantastic games against them all the time in some ICC events and in the bilateral series that we play against them.
00:16 They're an excellent team. We expect a really tough match and we're excited for the first match of the World Cup.
00:23 You're the first England captain to go into an ODI World Cup as the defending champion. Does that bring additional pressure?
00:37 No, not for me. I think I've spoken quite a bit about not feeling like we're defending anything.
00:43 We're here very much in the same position now as every other team. We're here to try and win the World Cup.
00:51 We look forward to what's going to be a great tournament. We're all starting in the same place and have big dreams and ambitions going all the way.
01:02 How much of playing in IPL yourself and most of the players help in defending the title?
01:09 I think it gives us a lot of familiarity with the venues and the travel around India, the hotels we stay in and those kind of things.
01:18 We know what to expect. We're playing 50 over cricket, not 20 over cricket as you would in the IPL.
01:25 Lots of the other teams are in a similar position with that. Many players from all around the world come here and experience the IPL.
01:32 I believe that's an advantage for most teams to have played quite a bit of cricket in India.
01:38 Recently you have two best bowlers, retired, Anderson and Stewart. How do you impact on your pacer?
01:56 Indian pitchers in the recent past have had 20 over in the stage, the faster. How do you make a combination of your bowler?
02:11 I think Jimmy is still available for selection. He's not played since 2015. I don't think Stewart has either, even though he's now retired.
02:22 Those two guys unfortunately won't be a part of this tournament. We have a really good squad of fast bowlers and spinners.
02:33 We're in a good place.
02:36 You play a very aggressive brand of cricket. Do you feel these are the conditions that could be the most challenging in terms of the kind of cricket you face?
02:54 I think the big skill in it, there will be lots of different wickets we'll play on around the country. There can be some of the best batting wickets in the world here.
03:04 Some of them can be a little bit on the slower side, some can spin. Reading the conditions quickly will be a big part of the game.
03:13 We will always try and adapt our style of attacking cricket to whatever surfaces we're playing on. You've got to adapt in the game and play differently.
03:26 Whatever the game is, we'll try and play at the higher level of that.
03:32 The number of ODIs since the last World Cup in 2019 has gone down considerably, not just for England but other teams as well.
03:41 Consequently, the volume of T20s has gone up. To that end, have you felt that the T20 mindset or tactics have also sometimes seeped into your preparations and how you plan for this year's ODI World Cup?
03:58 I think T20s have had a huge effect on all cricket. The way people can play test cricket now, the shots that batters are prepared to play in any format of the game.
04:12 I think the attitude to risk is to take more on as batters, especially in this day and age.
04:19 Absolutely, the T20s skills drip into the ODI cricket. ODI is its own format. 50 overs can feel like a long time sometimes or a short time to bat.
04:33 As I mentioned previously, reading conditions and adapting and making the most of those conditions, whether it's with the bat or the ball, will be a key factor in the World Cup.
04:45 Josh, since you will be playing in most of the northern venues, from your experience in the IPL, you have seen that conditions change drastically at night under lights.
04:57 Most of your matches are day-night matches. Do you think in this tournament, toss is going to be a big deciding factor?
05:07 I think certainly in some games, winning the toss will be advantageous. Again, it's a big skill about trying to read the pitches and read the conditions.
05:23 Dew can be a big factor at certain times in India. That will be a big skill of it. I think the format is generally long enough that the toss hopefully won't make the deciding factor in the game.
05:40 I think you will have to play good cricket to win the match.
05:45 Josh, is everyone fit for tomorrow?
05:48 Hopefully. We will see how everyone pulls up. We have been nursing a few guys over the last month or so. Hopefully we will have a clean bill of health to pick from. Obviously, the guys will arrive for training soon.
06:05 Ben didn't play the warm-up game the other day. Is that just that Ben doesn't play warm-up games anymore or is there an issue there?
06:13 Yeah, he doesn't play many of them to be honest. He has got a slight niggle with his hip but fingers crossed that there will be good news for us.
06:23 Are you confident he will be able to play?
06:25 We will see.
06:33 Josh, you mentioned Ben has got an issue with his hip. Is he not certain to play tomorrow?
06:43 Yeah, just to clarify, he has got a slight niggle. He is working hard with the physios and we will know more when the guys arrive for training today.
06:52 Is that a worry first game or is it such a long tournament that you need to make sure you manage Ben properly because you need him there at the back end when it gets to the business end?
07:01 I think we will make the right call here. If he is not fit to play, he is not fit to play. If he is, then we can make that decision.
07:10 It is not the time to take big risks on someone at the start of the tournament. Nearer the end, maybe you do take more of a risk with people's injuries.
07:21 It is going to be a long tournament. We will see how the guys pull up here at training today and post-training and then we can make our decisions.
07:30 Just on conditions here, have you got any idea what to expect on the pitch tomorrow and what it is going to be like?
07:37 I have played here a few times in T20 cricket. There are different types of soil on the square. Some of them can be fantastic batting wickets.
07:51 The ball, I think in the recent past in the IPL season, did swing around a little bit. I feel like it is not a bad venue for just good cricket.
08:02 I think there is value as a batter. If you bowl well, there can be early movement especially. We will see how that plays out in 50 over cricket compared to T20 cricket.
08:13 They look at the Gujarat team that do so well here. They have a very strong pace attack which shows that it is not all about spin in India.
08:26 Just on the make-up of the team, if Ben doesn't make it tomorrow, is there a reason that Harry Brooke comes in as your extra batter?
08:37 What do you think he might bring to the game? I know he played in the T20 World Cup and impressed last year.
08:43 The first 50 over World Cup for him, what do you think he might be able to do there in the first game?
08:49 I think Harry, we all know what a fantastic player he is. The start of an international career that has been outstanding in T20 cricket and the test format.
08:59 He has not played loads of ODI cricket but it is a format that should suit him perfectly. It will allow him to bat for a long time and make big runs.
09:10 That is something he enjoys doing. He has got all the shots. From test cricket, he can play big innings. It is a format that should suit him really well.
09:21 This is a tournament amongst a lot of others that you play. How do the juices get flowing when you are on the eve of a 50 over World Cup?
09:32 I am really excited. I arrived here today and I am doing a little bit of media around the trophy.
09:41 You see all the plaques on there of previous winners. For me personally, it goes back to 2003 being in the crowd at the final in Johannesburg.
09:53 Going to quite a few of the games in 1999 when the World Cup was in England. Some of my fondest memories of growing up with cricket have been around the 50 over World Cup.
10:04 To be able to be a part of it and see our name on that trophy as well, it certainly gets the juices flowing.
10:13 Any additional age playing in India and in IPL? Will that be an additional age to the players who have played over?
10:22 I think there are a lot of players from all the teams who have experienced the IPL. The IPL has been around for a while now and guys will have experienced that competition.
10:33 Lots of guys in our team and obviously players in the other sides as well. I think a very level playing field on that front.
10:42 The rule that gave that one year the World Cup in 2019 has been abolished. Do you have an opinion on its abolition or do you think the Super Over should be, if it is a tie, another Super Over should be played? What is your opinion?
11:00 It was a good job it was there at the time. What is the exact rule now? Super Over? Just continue. I think that is a good way to keep going.
11:19 Four years ago the rules were different, now they are different. It would be amazing if it gets to that point again. There is obviously a chance. Whoever is there will be a winner in the end.
11:36 Thank you.
11:39 (popping)