Jos Buttler has defended England against criticism of their training schedule during their ODI series against India after accusations that his side did not practice sufficiently in between games.
England lost the three-match series in India 3-0, and were beaten convincingly in all three games. During the final match in Ahmedabad, which they lost by 142 runs, England collapsed to 214 all out having crumbled from 126-2. In the midst of the collapse, commentators Kevin Pietersen and Ravi Shastri alleged that the side had not been training sufficiently, with Shastri claiming: "From what I've heard, England have had one net session this entire trip, if not any. If you're not prepared to do the hard yards, you're not going to improve."
Pietersen backed Shastri up, and hit out at the team's decision to play golf the day before the third ODI rather than have a net session. The two greats' comments were picked up online with accusations rolling in of the side's relaxed environment being at fault for their losses.
Speaking in the post-match press conference after the match in Ahmedabad, Buttler said: “That’s not quite true. I think we’ve had a reasonably long tour, a few long travel days, there have been a couple of times we’ve not trained but we’ve certainly done plenty of training throughout the tour. We obviously try to create a really good environment, but don’t mistake that for a lazy environment or a lack of effort. The guys are desperate to perform, do well and improve.”
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The defense from the England camp to Shastri and Pietersen's accusations were that they trained regularly during the T20I leg of the tour and ahead of the first ODI. England were also carrying significant injuries during the ODI series, with Jacob Bethell, Jamie Smith, Jofra Archer, Jamie Overton, and Brydon Carse out of action for at least part of the series.
There's is also Champions Trophy fitness to consider for the England camp. England will begin their Champions Trophy campaign in Pakistan in less than two week's time, with players who have been with the squad since the first T20I in India set to be on tour for a minimum of six weeks.
Ben Duckett was the latest England player to pick up injury, suffering an issue with his groin during the last ODI. Buttler was also off the field with a hand injury during the game, and Mark Wood suffered from heat exhaustion.
England have now lost 16 of the 23 ODIs they have played since the 2023 World Cup.
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