England's aspirations of retaining their ICC Men's Cricket World Cup title were severely dented after a resounding defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka. Jos Buttler, the captain of the England team, acknowledged that their chances of qualifying for the World Cup semis are very, very slim.
Here's what Buttler said during his post-match press conference:
Are England out of this tournament now?
"It certainly looks that way and that's incredibly disappointing. You know, you get on the plane to come to India and in a really good position as a team, you know, everything looking like it's going to plan. And, you know, it's just not worked at all."
England's fourth defeat of the tournament
"Yeah, incredibly disappointing and incredibly frustrating. Yeah, they say, not just losing we're losing by a long way and playing a long way short of our best. So absolutely, a huge disappointment."
Are England in shock with what has happened this World Cup?
"Yeah, absolutely. You know, we're a really good team, done a lot of really good things in the recent past and in white ball cricket, 50 over cricket, and they say get on the plane with high hopes and a lot of confidence and belief that, you know, we can challenge for the title. So to be sat here now with the three weeks that have been is a shock. It's a shock to everyone. I'll walk back in the dressing room after this and look at the players sat there and think, you know, how have we found ourselves in this position with the talent and the skill that's in the room? But it is the position we're in. It's the reality of what's happened over the last three weeks, and it's a huge low point."
On his position as captain
"You're always questioning as captain how you can get the best out of players, how you can, you know, get the team moving in the right direction. Certainly have a lot of confidence and belief in myself as a leader and captain and first and foremost as a player. But if you're asking if I should still be captaining the team, that's... no, that's a question for the guys above me."
Reporter: "You're determined in your own mind that you can turn things around with this team and you're the right man to lead England in the future?"
Buttler: 'Yeah."
England on the brink of being knocked out from World Cup
In a crucial match, England's decision to bat first backfired as they crumbled to a mere 156 runs, marking their lowest World Cup total since 2003. This disappointing performance also earned them the unfortunate distinction of recording the lowest One-Day International (ODI) score ever witnessed at the typically batting-friendly M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Sri Lankan pacer Lahiru Kumara played a pivotal role in this rout, claiming 3 wickets for 35 runs in seven overs. Ben Stokes emerged as the top scorer for England, contributing 43 runs, but the lack of substantial partnerships ultimately took a toll on the team.
What went wrong for England in the World Cup in India
Sri Lanka's response was swift and dominant. They chased down the target with a remarkable 24.2 overs to spare, finishing with a total of 160 for the loss of just 2 wickets. Pathum Nissanka (77 not out) and Sadeera Samarawickrama (65 not out) played aggressive innings, steering Sri Lanka to a convincing victory.
England's campaign in the World Cup has been marred by inconsistency, with their only win coming against Bangladesh in their first five games. The road ahead remains challenging, as they are set to face unbeaten teams like India and Australia, as well as formidable opponents in Pakistan and the Netherlands in their remaining fixtures.
Unwanted records England made with their loss against Sri Lanka