ODI World Cup 2023 : Jos Buttler Claims "We have Got Many Top Players," Dismissing Over-Reliance On Ben Stokes

Jos Buttler, the captain of England, has rejected the idea that Ben Stokes, an all-round player, is the team's primary dependency. In their opening World Cup match, England lost to New Zealand by nine wickets, but Buttler maintained that Stokes' absence was not the only reason for the defeat.

Stokes was named Man of the Match in the final and was instrumental in England's victory in the 2019 ODI World Cup. In last year's Twenty20 World Cup final, he also led the team in scoring. Despite having retired from ODIs in August, Stokes is still active in the format as a specialist batsman because of a minor hip injury.

Though Stokes was not present for England's opening World Cup game, Buttler insisted that the team is talented and well-rounded. Even though Stokes is a great asset, Buttler thinks the team does not depend too much on any one individual.

"I believe Ben is a great player, but we have a lot of great players," Buttler remarked following England's appalling start to their title defense in Ahmedabad.

"I believe that every member of the team reached double digits, and not enough of the guys were able to continue and contribute significantly.

"On our team, there are other players who can score runs besides Ben. Each and every player on the team is exceptional."

Because England did not risk Stokes so early in the competition, Harry Brook had a prime chance to shine at number four. The 24-year-old had a strong start before being gently dismissed for 25.

Even though Joe Root (77), Jos Buttler (43) and Jonny Bairtstow (33) scored half-centuries, England was only able to muster 282-9 on a respectable batting track.

Buttler claimed, "We gave a few wickets to New Zealand with our shot-making because we were not quite clinical enough."

"We made 280 despite being far below our best, which demonstrates the caliber of play that we are capable of."

In order to increase their net run-rate, which may be useful later in the tournament, England will try to defeat Bangladesh in Dharamsala on Tuesday.