We only have ourselves to blame: Buttler

Bengaluru: Defending champions England were dealt a crushing blow by Sri Lanka, sinking to a heavy defeat at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Thursday.

The famed English batting line-up put in another listless display, as Sri Lanka’s pacers ran circles around England, bowling them out for 156.

England captain Jos Buttler cut a forlorn figure for the post-match press conference. “Obviously incredibly disappointing and frustrating. I don't think there's anyone to blame, apart from ourselves. They (Sri Lanka) were better in all departments,” Buttler opened.

“There's a lot of talent in the group, we’re a good team and have got a lot of experienced cricketers who are fantastic players,” the wicketkeeper-batter added.

The team that entered the tournament as one of the favourites and have sunk to unfathomable lows, with disastrous outings with both bat and ball so far. Buttler believes that it has been a shock learning for his unit.

“We have been far short of the standards that we set ourselves. As a leader, I have not been able to lead by example. We're just not performing to the level that we expect.

“We got on the plane with high hopes and a lot of confidence, and a belief that we can challenge for the title. And to be sat here now, with the tournament that we have had, it’s a shock to everyone.”

England next take on hosts India, who have been on a roll so far and will take some stopping. While England still have a mathematical chance of sneaking into the semifinals, Buttler believes that only a few miracles can get them there.

“We will go about finding what the problems are and how we can fix them both individually and as a team. Going ahead, we want to play good, hard games of cricket and play well and get back to playing the way we know we can.

“It looks like it (semifinals) could need a few miracles, but for the games that we have left, we want to play the cricket we know we can play.”