'I Haven’t Had That Moment Yet...' - Jos Buttler confident ahead of T20 World Cup 2026

England finished their T20 World Cup preparations behind schedule but ultimately gained good momentum by beating Sri Lanka 3-0 in a T20 series.  Before this, England struggled to get proper match practice due to rain interruptions. Their home series against South Africa ended in a 1-1 draw after the deciding match was washed out. The team then toured Ireland, where another rain-hit schedule allowed England to win only two matches.

England next travelled to New Zealand hoping to continue their preparation, but weather again created problems. Only one T20 match was completed, and England won it comfortably by 65 runs. The team then decided to tour Sri Lanka mainly to get full match practice before the World Cup. That decision proved useful as they got valuable game time and strong performances from several players.

During the Sri Lanka series, England chased targets comfortably in the first two matches, showing their strong batting depth. In the third game, they defended a small total of 128 runs, which became their lowest successful defense in T20 cricket. The opening pair of Phil Salt and Jos Buttler remains one of the strongest in the format. However, Salt’s back injury has raised concerns after he missed the final Sri Lanka match due to a back spasm.

England’s Squad Strength and Leadership Confidence

Jos Buttler, captaining England to their second T20 World Cup title in 2022 and the semi-finals in 2024, will be appearing at his sixth tournament. At 35, he still feels motivated and inspired by James Anderson continuing international cricket at 41. “Guys say you just know when the time's up and you'll probably wake up one day and just know,” Buttler said. “I haven't had that moment yet so I'll just keep going until that comes to me.” Meanwhile, Jacob Bethell impressed with his all-round ability, while Adil Rashid reached 150 T20 wickets and maintained a remarkable streak of taking wickets consistently.

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England’s pace attack is led by Jofra Archer, supported by Sam Curran and Jamie Overton, though they conceded plenty of runs during the Sri Lanka series. Harry Brook will captain England in a major tournament for the first time, with strong backing from coach Brendon McCullum, who praised his leadership qualities. Since losing to India in the 2024 World Cup semifinals, England has lost only one T20 series and remains confident of progressing from the group stage matches scheduled in Mumbai and Kolkata.