Will Jos Buttler open batting in ENG vs SA ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 match? England captain answers

England captain Jos Buttler has good experience of playing at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

England's batting line-up had a few struggles against table-toppers New Zealand and Afghanistan in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. They lost two games out of their three encounters in their title defense campaign. The recent loss against Afghanistan raised several questions regarding England’s batting line-up and their old struggle against spin bowling. In both of these games, English openers have struggled against teams using their spinners first.

England captain Jos Buttler has decent numbers while tackling spin bowlers in Indian Premier League. Reports were suggesting England might change their batting-order and let captain Buttler take the attack from the first ball. Now, Jos Buttler has categorically denied it and said that his team has enough fire-power and no changes are required. Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan are the preferred openers for England in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.

Will Jos Buttler open for England?

England captain Jos Buttler was addressing the pre-match press conference at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, responding to a question about a possible shuffle in his batting-order. Buttler said, “No, none at all. We have got some fantastic openers in our team.” Buttler has done well in IPL and scored above 900 runs at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Buttler started his IPL career playing for Mumbai Indians.

Talking about his love affair with Wankhede Stadium, England skipper said, “It’s certainly a ground I have enjoyed playing at before. I started my IPL journey here in Mumbai as well, so it’s always a place with fond memories. I think it’s a fantastic cricket ground, and I'm looking forward to playing here tomorrow.” Buttler has played a few fantastic knocks for Mumbai and Rajasthan Royals at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

England will be taking on South Africa at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday afternoon. Both teams had major upsets in the World Cup, as England lost to Afghanistan in Delhi and South Africans were outclassed by Netherlands in Dharamsala. England and South Africa will be looking to get their campaigns back on track. South Africa had a brilliant start after defeating Sri Lanka and Australia in the first two games.