Jos Buttler has allowed himself to think about captaining England to T20 World Cup glory as he embraces the magnitude of an MCG showdown against Pakistan in Sunday’s final.
Buttler has the opportunity to join an exclusive club containing just immediate predecessor Eoin Morgan and Paul Collingwood as cricketers who have led England’s men’s side all the way at a global event.
While the Melbourne weather may overshadow the contest, Buttler is focused on the third World Cup final of his career, having been part of the Morgan teams that lost in 2016 and won the 2019 50-over version.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, he sees no reason to shy away from the occasion, with England looking to become the first side to hold both ODI and T20 World Cups simultaneously.
“I’ve certainly had a few dreams about that kind of thing,” he said. “I think it’s fine to think about those things and what it might feel like or what it would mean.
“It really links back to what you were like as a kid really, the kind of things you would be doing in the garden with your brother and sister, pretending to lift a trophy and that kind of thing.
“To be able to have the opportunity to have a chance to live that kind of thing out is incredibly special. They’re certainly feelings I don’t feel like I need to try and block out or push away.
“You almost accept those kind of things as like accepting the noise that comes with a World Cup final. I don’t need to try and push it away and say it’s no different. Of course it is.”
Mark Wood and Dawid Malan missed England’s stunning 10-wicket semi-final victory over India at Adelaide with hip and groin injuries respectively but Buttler revealed the pair were “improving”.
There were further encouraging signs at Saturday afternoon’s practice as Wood bowled at what looked close to full tilt for a couple of overs in the nets, where Malan had an extended batting session.
While England head coach Matthew Mott said on Friday “it is a real risk taking injured players into big games – you can really regret that”, Wood and Malan seem to have an opportunity to feature.
“It’s not too many days since not being fit enough for the semi-final, but we’ll give them every chance possible,” Buttler said.
Rain is forecast on Sunday as well as the reserve day on Monday, which has had two hours added to allow play to continue into the evening in a bid to get at least 10 overs per side completed.
If showers cause a more unpredictable affair, Buttler admitted the helter-skelter nature of the 2019 50-over final might be a useful experience to fall back on.
“Any experiences that you can draw on, good or bad, you will have learned from those and reflect on those to be in situations of adversity or a bit of chaos,” Buttler said.
“In a World Cup final, there’s a good chance of things like that happening. The more experience you’ve got of being able to understand those feelings and how to react to them, I definitely see as a benefit.
“Certainly I think the weather is something we cannot control and whatever does happen, we must be ready to go in whatever sense that is.”
Pakistan improbably reached the final despite losing their first two group games, with Shaheen Shah Afridi instrumental on his return after missing the recent 4-3 series defeat to England due to injury.
Afridi has taken 10 wickets in six matches while the left-arm quick and fellow bowlers Naseem Shah, Shadab Khan and Mohammad Wasim are all going at under 6.7 an over.
“Pakistan are a fantastic team,” Buttler added.
“They have a very long history of producing excellent fast bowlers and I see the team that we’re up against as no different.
“I’m sure by the end of their careers, some of the guys who we’ll play against will go down as some of the best bowlers Pakistan have produced. We expect a really tough challenge.”
