Champions Trophy: Jos Buttler vows to ‘not repeat mistakes’ in must-win Afghanistan clash

LAHORE: England captain Jos Buttler expressed his determination to play ‘good cricket’ in their next ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 match against Afghanistan, scheduled to be played here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday.

The 2019 World Cup winners had a forgetful start to their Champions Trophy 2025 as they suffered a gruelling five-wicket defeat at the hands of arch-rivals Australia on Saturday at the same venue.

Despite setting a mammoth total of 351/8 on the board, England ended up on the losing side as their bowling unit was dominated by the Australian wicketkeeper duo of Josh Inglis and Alex Carey.

After the abandonment of the Group B fixture between Australia and South Africa, England now need to win both of their remaining group-stage matches to progress further in the eight-team tournament.

Meanwhile, England captain Buttler vowed to play good cricket in their upcoming fixture and also expects tough competition from the opposition.

“We will try not to repeat our mistakes and play good cricket. Obviously, it is difficult to set a target on this pitch,” Buttler said.

“I am hopeful both teams will play quality cricket,” he added.

The wicketkeeper batter also backed his pacers despite their inability to curtail Australian batters while defending a massive total in their campaign opener.

“The Australian batters played well; one big innings turned the match. We made some mistakes in the first match, but we will try not to repeat them and will bounce back against Afghanistan,” Buttler stated.

He also offered his backing for England’s batting prodigy, Harry Brook, who is going through a lean patch, having been able to score just 53 runs in his last four ODIs.

“I am not worried about Harry’s form; we all know that he is one of the world’s best batters right now,” Jos Buttler said.