Jos Buttler says England won't panic after losing Ashes opener
Jos Buttler on Jofra Archer: "He's got amazing skills with the white ball, but talking to him he prefers bowling with the red one"
Monday 12 August 2019 08:59, UK
Jos Buttler says there will be no panic from England after their heavy loss to Australia in the Ashes opener at Edgbaston.
England tumbled to a 251-run defeat after collapsing to 146 all out day five and will now be looking to level the series at Lord's from Wednesday.
No side has won the Ashes after losing the first Test since Michael Vaughan's England side triumphed in 2005.
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"We played some good cricket at Edgbaston, but we didn't play well enough for long enough - if you're not good enough for long enough, then you're not going to win the game," said Buttler, who made scores of five and one.
"The challenge is still the same. Every time you come and play at Lord's is special, especially in an Ashes Test. There's no need to panic, we're 1-0 down, but there's four matches to go in this series.
"We know we've got a fantastic team and we've got to stay calm. Nothing really changes. We've lost that game but we've got enough belief to make it one-all. We come [to Lord's] with a lot of excitement."
I've felt in good form for 18 months or so. I feel like I'm the best version of myself that I've ever been, so I take a lot of faith from that. I'll prepare well, and give myself the best chance.
Jofra Archer looks set to replace the injured James Anderson in the England XI and make his Test debut - a month after bowling the Super Over in the World Cup final win over New Zealand - while Jack Leach should play instead of dropped fellow spinner Moeen Ali.
"He's got the X factor," Buttler said of fellow World Cup winner Archer at a Kookaburra sponsorship event at Lord's. "In his short international career so far we've seen what an impact he's had.
"He's got amazing skills with the white ball, but talking to him he prefers bowling with the red one. That's exciting for us, and it's exciting for the world to see him in the Test arena.
"He tends to cope with expectation well, he's a pretty laid-back character who has an immense trust in his game. If he gets his chance I expect him to perform really well.
"I'm excited for [Leach]. He's worked very hard to be in the position he's got himself into. He's a great person to bring into the team. He brings a lot of energy and a lot of skill with the ball."
On Australia's Steve Smith, who hit twin tons at Edgbaston in his first Test since the ball-tampering scandal, Buttler added: "He's pretty good, isn't he?
"What he does is put you under pressure for a long period of time and puts demands on you. He's a fantastic player who can take advantage of that.
"He's been one of the best players for a while now and that's the challenge of playing Test cricket against Australia."
Watch day one of the second Ashes Test between England and Australia, at Lord's, live on Sky Sports The Ashes and Main Event from 10am on Wednesday. Click here to upgrade now.
