World Cup 2023: Don’t think I’ve ever seen him in this kind of form – Nasser Hussain on Jos Buttler’s struggles

Former England skipper Nasser Hussain has said he has never seen Jos Buttler struggling for runs like he has done in the ongoing World Cup 2023. The wicket-keeper has struggled to lead from the front and he hasn’t been able to deliver the goods with the bat.

The right-hander has scored just 111 runs in eight matches at a woeful average of 13.88 and thus he has failed to contribute to the team. Buttler was dismissed after scoring only five runs against the Netherlands at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune on Wednesday.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Nasser Hussain said, “Buttler is just horribly out of nick. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him in this kind of form – either in a Lancashire shirt, a Somerset shirt, or an England shirt. He is England’s best white-ball player. So if you’re asking me what is one of the major reasons why the team haven’t done well, it’s because he’s had a drop of form like we’ve never seen before.”

Hussain added Buttler is working hard on his game in the nets but he hasn’t been able to get a good score in the middle, which must be frustrating.

“When you’re going to a player, like today with Liam Livingstone, and saying ‘we’re leaving you out mate’, you’d want to be getting runs yourself when making those decisions. He’s netting hard, working hard, his body language is pretty good around the team but he just can’t buy a run at the moment. We all forget what it’s like being out of nick. Your brain is completely scrambled.”

Hussain admitted England needed to be 100% if they wanted to beat the top teams in the World Cup but they were sloppy in the field.

“They [England] were good. But there was some sloppiness in the field. You need to be at 100 percent if you’re going to beat some of the top nations on a consistent basis. And that collapse again. Other sides, better sides than the Netherlands, will make you pay for that. They can’t seem to stop the collapse while it’s happening, and it took that last-chance-saloon partnership of Stokes and Woakes to save them.”

England won comprehensively against the Netherlands by 160 runs after Ben Stokes scored a match-winning knock of 108 runs.

England will play their last match of the World Cup 2023 against Pakistan and they will want to end their campaign on a high.