Jos Buttler has called the home side Australia the favourites to win the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 in their home conditions.
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Perth’s Optus Stadium will be hosting the ICC T20 World Cup Super-12 match between England and Afghanistan on Saturday. Both sides will be starting their campaign for this match.
England were the favourites to win the tournament last year, but they lost in the semi-final to New Zealand. This team is a bit different from last year as Jos Buttler is now the new captain of the side, and Alex Hales has replaced Jason Roy as Buttler’s opening partner.
Jonny Bairstow can be a big miss for the side, but the way Harry Brook has emerged into the scene is a great sight to watch. The return of Ben Stokes is also a huge boost for the side, whereas Mark Wood and Chris Woakes are also looking in great form lately.
Jos Buttler refuses to call England favourites ahead of T20 World Cup
With the kind of firepower they have in their batting, England are considered the favourites to win the ICC T20 World Cup. However, captain Jos Buttler does not think the same. He said that they are a team of talented players who can win the game on their own, but they are not the favourites.
Buttler insists that it is tough to call anyone the favourites in this format of the game, but believes that the Australian side will be the strongest one as they are playing in their home conditions. However, it is interesting that England recently defeated Australia in the T20I series in Australia.
“No, far from it, to be honest. We are a dangerous team with a lot of talented players, who can win games on their own and that’s a huge thing in T20 cricket,” Jos Buttler told reporters.
“It’s hard to be favourites I guess and if you had to choose one, it’s probably Australia in their own conditions being reigning champions.”
Jos Buttler vary of Afghanistan’s threat in T20 World Cup
Talking about the Afghanistan side, Buttler said that they will treat Afghanistan as a very tough opponent. He called them a fantastic side and said that any side with Rashid Khan in it cannot be taken lightly at all. Buttler insists that the English team will give them a lot of respect.
“I see them as a really tough opponent. There are some fantastic players in their team and any side with Rashid Khan in T20 cricket is going to have a big say. So, we give them huge respect and we look forward to a competitive game,” Jos Buttler added.
