‘It’s only a recreation we misplaced’ – Rashid unfussed with Afghanistan setback

They flew south-west on Monday afternoon and can have two days off in Mumbai earlier than tuning up for Saturday’s fixture on the Wankhede Stadium. South Africa, their opponents, can have a shorter lead-in and won’t arrive within the metropolis till Wednesday, following their fixture in opposition to Netherlands in Dharamsala.

“That’s cricket, that happens. Not every time you go out are you going to smash sixes and fours… We’re not too concerned: it’s just a game that we lost.” Asked if England had misplaced their aura during the last 4 years, Rashid mentioned: “I don’t think that’s fair. I think that’s pretty unfair.”

England are the holders of each white-ball World Cup titles and in each tournaments, misplaced video games early earlier than occurring four-match unbeaten streaks to carry the trophy. Before addressing his gamers, Buttler mentioned that they might draw on related experiences. “Everyone will be disappointed in the dressing room and let that sink in,” he mentioned.

“But there’s a lot of guys who have been through lots in their careers in there as well, and guys who have come back from tough situations and shown a lot of character and resilience. It’s a very tight-knit group, so we’ll get around each other and pick each other up, and down ourselves down and go again.

“We’ve performed some good cricket in all situations, whether or not we have been on prime and front-runners and fancied, or whether or not we have had our backs in opposition to the wall. It’s a place you discover yourselves in. It’s not the place you wished to be in three video games in the past, however the character is great. There’ll all the time be perception.”

“You cannot win each recreation and at this time, we simply misplaced a recreation. We’re nonetheless assured; we’re nonetheless backing our gamers; we nonetheless have that constructive mind set”

Adil Rashid

Buttler would not be drawn on the prospect of sweeping changes for Saturday’s fixture – “it is too early to say,” he said – but it seems increasingly likely that Ben Stokes will be available after recovering sufficiently from a left hip injury. “He wasn’t match for this recreation, however we’ll see how he pulls up for the subsequent one,” Buttler said. “He was shut.”

He also pushed back against the suggestion that England had “underestimated” Afghanistan, or approached the game with any complacency. “I feel that is a really unfair factor to say,” he told the BBC. “We knew it was going to be a troublesome problem. We know they’re a really, very proficient crew – however that being mentioned, we’re clearly upset.”

Rashid performed the defeat down: “It’s a part of cricket. You win some, you lose some. You cannot win each recreation and at this time, we simply misplaced a recreation. We did not play our greatest cricket with bat or ball, or within the subject. We’ve nonetheless obtained loads of video games in hand; hopefully, we will put in some good performances and kickstart the competitors.

“We’re still confident; we’re still backing our players; we still have that positive frame of mind,” Rashid added. But until they see indicators of a restoration in Mumbai this weekend, England’s supporters are unlikely to share these sentiments.