The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
The Crown is shaky
After two defeats in three games, defending champs England can’t afford another hiccup as they face SA, smarting from a Dutch shock
JOS BUTTLER sat there gushing about the enduring beauty of Wankhede when, on the match eve, the stadium premises looked anything but beautiful. On match day minus one of a potential World Cup classic – with both England and South Africa desperate to get their faltering campaign back on track – Wankhede, much like the rest of Mumbai, resembled a construction site.
It’s the last-second hustle that’s become India’s dubious distinction while hosting major events, leaving the stadium complex dusty, dirty (ironically the brand-new waste bins wrapped in plastic were spotless) and with cables hanging loose that would make old Delhi’s overhead wired webs look regal.
Almost like Wankhede remembered, just yesterday, that it had to host a World Cup game on Saturday. The two countries will play in the shadow of the bigger game. That will be the Rugby World Cup semifinal later in the night, relegating the corresponding cricket match to a mere side dish. Yet, the enormity of the game isn't lost on both sets of players.
The two teams come into this fixture on the back of what have been two biggest upsets of the tournament – England first lost to Afghanistan and then, the next day, South Africa succumbed to the Netherlands.
And in all the chaos at the Wankhede, Buttler exudes confidence. It bred from familiarity with the venue where the England captain is one of the highest run-getters in the IPL, having started his journey with the Mumbai Indians. Crucially, the belief also has roots in the fact that the last time the two teams met at Wankhede in a World Cup game – in a similar, desperate situation for England – in 2016, it was a humdinger that went in their favour. South Africa set a target of 230 in the World T20, and England won with two wickets and two balls to spare.
Buttler made 21 off 14 before he was stumped. He called it one of his ‘favourite’ games. “So great memories of that night, albeit a long time ago,” he said. Although there’ll be no time for him, or England, to reminisce about something that happened nearly eight years ago, there’s a lesson or two in the ‘fearless’ brand of cricket that Buttler wants his team to play in this World Cup.
Like they do on Saturday, England went into that match in 2016 against South Africa on the back of a crushing defeat (against the West Indies). And while they’ve since transformed into one of the most feared attacking units, the record run chase was one of the turning points for a team that was looking to forge a new identity after the 2015 World Cup.
“Absolutely, that style is a different format,” Buttler said, talking about how that match is a good reference point on the ‘style that we play’. “(But) We want to find ways to make a play, to put the opposition under pressure in lots of different ways. That doesn't always mean hitting fours and sixes, it means can we push back when the opposition is on top or can we really take the initiative in different ways and that's what we want to live by as a team. We know when we commit to that it gives us the best chance of positive results.”
In hindsight, that match can be viewed as England’s first step towards what eventually got christened as ‘Bazball’, the attacking brand of cricket that Buttler effervescently spoke about and helped England win the 2019 World Cup. Now, with their title defence on the line, England will hope to rekindle the memories of Wankhede 2016. For that, they'll need their big guns to start firing.
A lot of their build-up to this match – a must-win in a way as a defeat would mean they’ll have to win their remaining five matches – has revolved around the impending return of a fit-again Ben Stokes. The talisman is certain to play his first match of this World Cup and like Buttler, he too urged his teammates to 'not be timid'.
Whether Root, Buttler, Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan and the rest heed the rallying cry remains to be seen. But the South African bowling attack floundered during the death overs.
The Netherlands thrashing left the Proteas reeling, with the team using the off days to have ‘hard conversations’.
“Probably, our bowling at the death hasn't been at the best,” captain Temba Bavuma accepted. “I guess it's more (about the) mental side of it during those periods. Also, to understand that we're going to get put under pressure in the death again. It's not going to be maybe the Netherlands in the play-off games if we get there, but there will be a team that will put us under pressure, so how do we react differently within that period?”
Compared to England, South Africa’s worries seem a little less pronounced. Bavuma called the Netherlands defeat a ‘blip’, reminding his players to ‘not forget all the
Reuters good work’ they’ve done coming into the World Cup and in the first two games of the tournament.
They even got a message of support from the Springboks, which was played during the team meeting where Quinton de Kock dug deep into his Mumbai Indians experience to give a debrief about the playing conditions at the Wankhede.
There’s a heightened sense of anticipation on both sides to play at the venue – lush inside, rubble outside – that suits their styles.
Buttler talked glowingly about the pitch, his love for the stadium that he said was ‘one of the great grounds in India’.
Bavuma dipped into nostalgia. “For me, growing up, idolising a guy like Sachin Tendulkar, Wankhede was a stadium you always heard about,” Bavuma said. “So, to have that opportunity to be playing, that's another tick off my list as a cricketer.”
On Friday, the only thing that could be heard was the sound of the drills and clanking irons at a venue that’s still getting ready for its World Cup date.