‘It’s about trying to create something new’ – England skipper Jos Buttler on ‘defending champions’ tag ahead of first ODI World Cup 2023 encounter

England’s captain Jos Buttler recently got candid and talked about how he dislikes England being called the defending champions in the ODI World Cup, 2023.  Notably, England won their first ODI World Cup title in 2019 after beating New Zealand under the leadership of Eoin Morgan and have been labelled as the defending champions for the ODI World Cup, 2023 which will be held in India. 

England will begin their World Cup campaign against New Zealand on 5 October at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad. Recently, England also beat New Zealand in the ODI series by 3-1 and the skipper Jos Buttler exclaimed that England is traveling in the same boat as all the other teams and will have to begin from scratch in the tournament. Hence the title of defending champions is not something he appreciates. 

Jos Buttler on wanting to recreate the magic of ODI World Cup 2019

“We’re not trying to defend anything. We’re trying to go there and win a World Cup. We are in exactly the same position as every other team. For me, the past is in the past. You can’t recreate something, or hold onto it forever. It’s all about something new”, said Jos Buttler a day before beginning the World Cup campaign. 

“It’s fantastic to be champions and the reigning champions, and I won’t say we’ve left that behind completely because it’s a nice place to be. But I do feel like you’ve given that trophy back now. It’s done. It’s about trying to create something new”, he added. 

“We must be hungry to try to do it again and try to be focused on something different. Stuff in the past can be nice reference points: you talk about experience, and I never believed in it as a young player. I thought you could either do it, or you couldn’t. But certainly now, as an older player, there are times that things happen and they are nice to refer back to,” concluded, Jos Buttler.