'Not a nice job to do': Jos Buttler reveals the toughest part of being a captain

The England cricket team recently faced off with their arch World Cup rivals, New Zealand, in a 4-match series this month. The Jos Buttler-led side won the ODI series 3-1. Their T20I series previously ended in a draw. Now they are set to face Ireland in a 3 ODI match series against Ireland and will play India and Bangladesh in warm-up matches ahead of their clash on October 5, 2023, when they face New Zealand again to kick off the campaign. 

3 things you need to know 

• Jason Roy missed England’s 15-member squad for the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 
• England have named Harry Brook for the ODI World Cup 
• England are the defending champions of the ODI WC

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Jos Buttler shares the hardest part of being a captain

England captain Jos Buttler expressed concern over informing opener Jason Roy of his omission from the 15-man roster for the 2023 World Cup. Roy had missed the recent white-ball series against New Zealand due to persistent back spasms.

Despite being named to the probable World Cup team, Roy's injury, combined with Harry Brook's adaptability in batting places within the top six, resulted in him missing a second consecutive World Cup. It's worth mentioning that the 33-year-old was also missing from the side that won the previous year's T20 World Cup in Australia, as his absence came just before the competition owing to poor form. Buttler made these remarks at a promotional event for Castore, England's official kit supplier. He said: 

"I don't think any time is easy. It's part of the job as captain that is not enjoyable, whether they're great friends or not, it's not a nice job to do. It's my responsibility to give that news. He's a really great mate of mine so it was a really tough call to make."

Buttler claimed that Roy would be a top-order batting reserve in the Team

"Jason will be the top-order reserve, absolutely," 

 "Harry, we do feel gives us versatility - he can cover one to six in the batting order which is obviously something that's advantageous in a squad. But good players miss out, it's the very brutal nature of sport."

"There's plenty of people outside the 15 who will have felt that they were in with a really good chance of a spot. It's a bad headache to have but a good problem as a selection committee when you have a deep pool of players to choose from," 

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The 2019 ODI World Cup was held in England, and Jason Roy was a key component of their historic success. Throughout the competition, he scored 443 runs while maintaining a respectable average of 63.28 and a strike rate of 115.36. The success of the squad was largely due to his contributions, which included a century and four half-centuries. In 116 ODIs throughout the course of his international career for England, Roy has amassed 4271 runs with an average of over 40 and a remarkable strike rate of 105.53, solidifying his status as a powerful and significant opener.

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Harry Brook, on the other hand, has struggled in the 50-over format, with a low average of 20.50 in six matches, including a recent series against New Zealand that was less than successful. Brook has only scored 123 runs in the ODIs for England. It will be interesting to see how England’s strategies to defend their title will work in India in October.