'Excited' Jos Buttler says England to give Pakistan hard time in T20I series

M Muzamil Asif

September 15, 2022

England team arrive in Pakistan after 17-year hiatus.
Jos Butler says Pakistanis' passion for cricket is "fantastic".
"I am not much aware of the conditions," he notes.

KARACHI: England's regular white-ball skipper Jos Buttler is "excited" to witness an enthusiastic Pakistan crowd, but his participation in the series remains uncertain due to injury.

One of the most exciting wicket-keeper batters in the world, Buttler started rehabilitation for his calf injury. His participation in initial matches of the T20I series is doubtful as shared by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) at the time of squad announcement.

The England team arrived in Karachi on Thursday, marking their first-ever visit to Pakistan for international cricket in the last 17 years.

Just an hour after they landed in the metropolis, Buttler interacted with the local media.

Answering a query about his injury update and the possibility of his participation in Karachi matches, Buttler said he is not sure about it.

"Unfortunately, I am undergoing a bit of an injury, so I am not sure about my participation. But I will try and do everything to get out in the park," shared Buttler.

Buttler might be aware of the enthusiastic Pakistan crowd before coming to Pakistan as his teammates previously travelled to the cricket-crazy nation during Pakistan Super League (PSL).

Now, the English captain is excited to witness the crazy fans himself at National Stadium.

"I think the passion Pakistani people have for cricket is fantastic. It's my first time here, and I am excited to witness them," said Buttler, who is likely to miss the Karachi leg of their tour.

T20 World Cup preparations

Buttler, a veteran of 94 T20Is, sees the Pakistan series as a preparation for T20 World Cup 2022 which is scheduled for October-November in Australia.

"It's a good chance for all the boys, to play some good cricket here and get ready for the mega competition," said the skipper.

"Yes, we will miss Livingstone and Bairstow but we have some really good players to contest strongly against Pakistan," he responded.

Pakistan conditions

It looks like Buttler will take some time to read the conditions as it's his first visit to the Asian country. However, being a professional, he looks forward to exciting cricket.

"Being here for the first time, I am not much aware of the conditions. We will try and get the experience of our players who played here in PSL," he stressed.