‘We're not gelling as a group’ – Jos Buttler on England’s poor show in the Ashes

Wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler said that England are yet to put in collective efforts in the ongoing Ashes against Australia. The Three Lions are currently trailing the five-match series 0-3, having already lost matches in Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne. Following their loss by an innings and 14 runs, the Brits also lost 12 out of their last 13 Tests on Australian soil.

The third Test ended in a tad over two days as England’s batting looked completely out of sorts. The fourth match is scheduled to get underway on Wednesday, January 5 at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground. Buttler was clear cut in saying that the visiting team hasn’t been up to the mark and is in danger of a 5-0 series whitewash.

We certainly don’t want to be a team to lose 5-0, says Jos Buttler

“There’s an overriding sense of disappointment and frustration with the situation we’ve found ourselves in. We’ve not competed or played the cricket we wanted to at the start of the tour. We’re not gelling as a group and individually playing well enough to compete with Australia. We certainly don’t want to be a team to lose 5-0,” Buttler was quoted as saying on Cricbuzz.

Buttler, himself, has flattered to deceive in the ongoing Test series. While he averages 32.35 in Test cricket, he has played an average of 19.20 in the ongoing series. He played a gutsy 26-run knock of 207 balls in Adelaide, but his effort went in vain.

Buttler has also looked a tad off colour behind the stumps, dropping catches at regular intervals. He admitted that the missed chances ended up costing his team big time.

“In hindsight, just before a tea break is obviously a poor time to get out, but I wanted to be attacking and positive in that innings. Mid-on and mid-off were up. I saw that as an opportunity to score, I didn’t execute that. That’s all it is,” he stated.

“It’s a very lonely place dropping a catch. It’s one of the worst feelings in cricket, letting down your mates. It doesn’t just hurt you; it hurts the whole team. You’ve certainly got to be able to be very strong with your character to try to come through that,” Buttler added.