Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh recently commented on England skipper Jos Buttler’s struggles with the bat in the upcoming 2023 World Cup.
Harbhajan stated that the wicketkeeper-batter has appeared ignorant thus far in the championship tournament. The cricketer-turned-commentator also stated that England’s plan to reintroduce Ben Stokes into the ODI structure has yet to bear fruit.
“Jos Buttler has never looked so clueless,” Harbhajan said in his latest YouTube video. “Ben Stokes was asked to come out of retirement ahead of the World Cup but got injured. He has failed to make a significant impact in the matches he has played.”
Harbhajan Singh
Jos Buttler has mustered just 95 runs in five outings at an average of 19.00. England’s batting-heavy unit has also struggled consistently in the ongoing ICC event.
The reigning champions suffered their fourth defeat on Thursday, falling to Sri Lanka by an eight-wicket margin after getting bowled out for 156.
Harbhajan Singh said of their poor performance, “Jos Buttler and company have looked like a pale shadow of their glorious past.”
“England loved to chase in white-ball cricket and had batters who only dealt in fours and sixes,” he added. “However, forget about boundaries; they aren’t even sure of how to take singles. It seems as if they have forgotten how to play this format. They haven’t looked like world champions.”
Harbhajan Singh
England presently is in ninth place in the 2023 World Cup points table, having won only one of their five games.
Harbhajan Singh predicts another defeat for England against India in 2023 World Cup
England’s next ODI World Cup match will be against hosts India. Harbhajan Singh has predicted that the Men in Blue would win the game.
He believes England would struggle to overcome the in-form Indian squad, especially on a spin-friendly surface in Lucknow. The cricketer-turned-commentator went on to explain:
“England’s next match is against India. I don’t think they are capable of beating India, and they will have to deal with yet another loss. I feel it might be a spin-friendly surface, and we could see India play three spinners.”
Harbhajan Singh
On Sunday, India and England will play the 29th match of the 2023 World Cup at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.