Matthew Mott insists he and Jos Buttler are the men to take England’s white-ball teams into the future, albeit with the head coach declining to share the lessons he learned after what has been a lousy World Cup defence.
By finishing seventh with a third win of the campaign – beating fifth-placed Pakistan by 93 runs – England at least secured their place in the 2025 Champions Trophy. But six defeats are their most at a 50-over World Cup, despite arriving in India among the favourites.
Asked if he expected to keep his job – with Rob Key, the team director, having returned to India to review the tournament – Mott said: “Absolutely, I do. We’ve had a poor tournament but we’ve got a lot to look forward to.
“I haven’t even spoken about it but yes, I’m pretty confident. It hasn’t been a great tournament for everyone but there’s plenty of teams which are going to go from here very disappointed with their performance as well. There’s only one team that can win it. I’m comfortable in my skin.”
On Buttler, who like Mott has credit in the bank after the T20 World Cup win 12 months ago, the head coach said: “I think he’s got a great future. You judge leadership in times that are tough and he’s continually tried to motivate the boys.
“He’s clearly disappointed with his own contribution but none of that has affected the way he’s led the team. I’ve been really impressed by the way he’s kept the team together. He’s a player who is immensely talented and will bounce back.”
Mott also pushed back on explaining to the public where his own direction may have fallen short over the past six weeks, saying: “There’s enough public comment out there,” and: “You always think you can get better. Whether you win or lose.”
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While the Australian has said this 50-over World Cup was always going to be a “line in the sand” for some players, the impending squad for the Caribbean tour in December may not reveal all of England’s intentions given some multi-format players may be afforded a rest – rather than being dropped for good – before the Test tour of India in January.
Buttler said: “It’s not going to be a drastic change of playing style, like 2015. We know where we need to go. That doesn’t mean a huge clear-out, it’s just pushing on from here.”
Mott believes the next steps should be taken with a two-year cycle in mind – the T20 World Cup in June 2024 and the Champions Trophy a year later – rather than necessarily running a red pen through names unlikely to make the next 50-over World Cup in 2027.
He said: “We’re not shying away from the fact that it’s nowhere near the standards we expect of each other. But what it does is provide motivation and energy from the group to bounce back really well and be really crystal clear on how we want to approach it next time we get this opportunity.”
