(Image Source: AP)
[Saba Sports News] Following England’s defeat by four wickets to the West Indies in the opening ODI at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua, spinner Rehan Ahmed publicly supported England captain Jos Buttler’s captaincy.
This endorsement counters the criticism from former captain Alastair Cook, who had questioned Buttler’s tactical choices, especially regarding the unused off-spin of Will Jacks. Ahmed, however, commended Buttler for his exceptional leadership, highlighting England’s strong performance throughout the match.
Ahmed described Buttler as an incredible captain, emphasizing that the team’s position was strong until the end and attributing the loss not to poor decisions but to execution in the final stages. He also praised Buttler as one of the best white-ball players he’s faced, despite Buttler’s recent batting difficulties, including a lackluster World Cup.
“Jos is an unbelievable captain. It’s just his call. We were in a great position by the end of it. It wasn’t like there were bad decisions throughout the game. I don’t think you can put anything down to Jacksy not bowling. I felt like we were always in the game even right to the end. We just didn’t execute at the end. We were always still in the game,” revealed Ahmed.
Acknowledging his batting slump, Buttler himself expressed disappointment with his recent performance. His latest low score in Antigua adds to a series of modest scores, marking his fifth low tally in the last eight ODIs and a run of 13 innings without reaching fifty in this format.