England spinner Rehan Ahmed has jumped to England skipper Jos Buttler’s defence, calling him an unbelievable captain. The West Indies beat England by four wickets in the first ODI of the three-match series at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.
WI vs ENG 1st ODI: Highlights | Scorecard
Ahmed’s comments come in the light of Buttler’s captaincy being criticized by former skipper and England’s record Test scorer, Sir Alastair Cook. Speaking to TNT Sport, Cook had questioned how Buttler juggled his resources against the West Indies, wondering if he could’ve used Will Jacks’ off-spin in the middle overs to take the pressure off the seamers at the death.
As quoted by Belfast Telegraph, Ahmed called Buttler an unbelievable captain, adding that they were in the game till the end in the first ODI. West Indies captain Shai Hope scored a brilliant century to guide his side to victory in Antigua.
“Jos is an unbelievable captain. It’s just his call. We were in a great position by the end of it. It wasn’t like there were bad decisions throughout the game. I don’t think you can put anything down to Jacksy not bowling. I felt like we were always in the game even right to the end. We just didn’t execute at the end. We were always still in the game,” said Ahmed.
He went on to Buttler is probably the best white-ball player he’s bowled to, insisting that he always smacks him around in the nets. Buttler has been sustaining a lean patch with the bat in hand, averaging 14.1 since the start of the World Cup.
“Every time I bowl to him in the nets, he smacks me everywhere. Some people can be short of runs sometimes but he’s still Jos Buttler. He’s probably the best white-ball player I’ve bowled to,” Ahmed added.
Following their defeat in Antigua, England will get ready to take on the West Indies in the second match of the ODI series at the same venue on Wednesday, December 6.
