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'We don't want to see India vs Pakistan final': Jos Buttler ahead of T20 semis clash

The Men in Blue will be locking horns with a formidable English line-up in their semi-final clash at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday, November 10

Published: Wed 9 Nov 2022, 9:14 AM

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  • ANI

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Photo: AFP

Photo: AFP

England captain Jos Buttler said that the team would like to play spoilsport to an India-Pakistan final clash, ahead of their semi-final clash against India, while speaking at a press conference in Adelaide on Wednesday.

The wicketkeeper-batsman backed his team to win the semi-final against India on November 10, so as to to deny cricket fans a high-voltage recap of the 2007 T20 World Cup final at the biggest stage of cricket.

"We certainly don't want to see an India versus Pakistan final and we will try to spoil their party. They are a good team," said Buttler.

While talking about his team's performance in the tournament and its readiness to play in the semi-final, he said:

"We have got to the point where we wanted to be. Everyone is excited about playing in the semifinal. Obviously, we are really excited about the match against a great Indian team. We like to be in such a situation."

Buttler also shared news about the fitness of key English players David Malan and Mark Wood, stating that they had still not recovered, and were doubtful of making it to the playing eleven. He also hinted at Phil Salt being a possible replacement for Malan's position.

"Both Malan and Wood are doubtful, but we would see how they are on match day. We trust our medical team. We need guys to be fit. Full faith in every member of our squad. Going back to the Pakistan tour we gave chance to a lot of youngsters and they did well. Phil Salt has a fantastic mindset, especially for T20Is. He is someone who looks to perform," informed the captain.

The explosive batter, expressing his views on India's bowling line-up, said that Indian pacer Bhuvneshwar was a very good bowler, but he did not fear the man. He also stressed on the importance of spinners in the middle overs, while talking about Yuzvendra Chahal, and labelling him as a wicket-taking option.

"He (Bhuvneshwar) is a good bowler but I certainly don't fear him. India is a very strong team. There are some fantastic players in the squad. I think spinners play a huge role in T20 cricket by taking wickets in middle overs. Taking wickets stems the flow of runs. Yuzi is a great bowler. He is a wicket-taking bowler," said Buttler.

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"We are excited about playing in the semi-final. We know that the way we play we have a chance of winning. We want to stick to our plan. I speak to Eoin quite a lot. He is a great player but I lead the team in my way. But he is a great mate," he said on being asked about the team's game plan and if he takes inputs from England's World cup winning captain Eoin Morgan.

The English captain also spoke about the Indian in-form batter Suryakumar Yadav, saying that he had been in great form, but could be dismissed and the team would be desperate to do that.

"He (Suryakumar) has been great to watch. He is a batter who has a lot of shots. But you need one ball to dismiss the batter and we would be desperate to do that," said Buttler.

"Well, we will wait and see. Historically 165 is a par score but we would not like to have a par score. We would like to have a winning total. The wicket looks consistent for 40 overs throughout. In cricket, we all have to adjust to the conditions," said Buttler while talking about the Adelaide wicket.

India will be locking horns with a formidable England line-up in their semi-final clash at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday, November 10. Fans have been rooting for an India-Pakistan T20 World Cup final on November 13 at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground.



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