New England white-ball captain Jos Buttler has delivered a frank assessment of his side's poor summer, admitting their failure to win a single series since he took over is a "reality check".
England enjoyed a remarkable turnaround in their white-ball fortunes under previous skipper Eoin Morgan, culminating in their 2019 World Cup win. However, they have endured a difficult start under Buttler, losing three series and drawing one.
As a result, England failed to win a white-ball series at home this summer for the first time in nine years and Buttler believes they need to start "looking forward" and cannot "live in the past and pat ourselves on the backs for the changes that have been made".
Speaking after England slumped to a 90-run defeat in the final T20I against South Africa, their joint-worst ever, Buttler said: "I think it is a reality check. We haven't played our best cricket by a long stretch and I don't think we have been able to impose ourselves.
"We can't live in the past and pat ourselves on the backs for the changes that have been made in English cricket and the successes we have had. It's about looking forward, trying to chase the best teams in the world and being at the forefront of that."
Buttler also acknowledged the frustrations of supporters at the ground, who booed England as their batting collapsed and they were bowled out for just 101 in 16.4 overs. "We do need an honest chat," he added.
"You don't want to overreact to situations but you could sense the frustration around the ground with the 'get on with it, England' chants. You don't want to be associated with that.
"It is the first time I have heard that for a very long time, so that frustration around the group shows we weren't managing to put on the show we want to put on. You can cope with losing but you want to make sure you stay true to what you believe in and I think we fell well short with the way we played.
"The disappointing thing was the way we went down. We lacked intent and confidence and didn't put the opposition under pressure. We never managed to fire shots and wrestle the initiative.
"I think that bit of timidness is probably the thing we are frustrated with most. We want to be a team that wants to be brave and take risks.
"We have to work out where that lack of consistency comes from. Whether it's over-confidence or lack of confidence, we have not been able to back up performances. As individuals and as a team we have not played our best.
"The first place I would look is myself. I want to lead from the front as captain and I know I haven't performed at the level I would like to."
