England eye ‘proper performance’ against Pakistan, says Buttler

KOLKATA (Agencies): England captain Jos Buttler said the team have shown a desire to “put things right” in India after a dismal World Cup campaign and are determined to secure a spot in the 2025 Champions Trophy with a top-eight finish. The 2019 champions earned a 160-run win over the Netherlands in Pune on Wednesday to end a five-match losing streak and climb off the bottom of the standings to seventh place on four points. Ahead of the bottom three – Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Neteherlands – on net run rate, England head to Kolkata for their final match against fifth-placed Pakistan, who will host the next edition of the eight-team Champions Trophy. “We haven’t performed the way we wanted to this whole trip and we’d like to leave India putting in a proper performance,” Buttler told reporters. “I think everyone’s been frustrated, but the guys have stayed tight … the guys probably trained as hard as they trained all trip, which shows the level of commitment and desire to put things right. “Not playing for what we wanted to be playing for, but a really vital match for us in the grand scheme of things. “It’s great to be heading there with something on the line,” he added.