Mitch Marsh (Australia), Jos Butler (England) & Richie Berrington (Scotland) preview their T20 world cup openers
01/06/2024
01/06/2024
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00:00 Playing cricket again and being back in an England shirt, I know how hard he's worked
00:05 to get back. It's been a long time for him. As I've said before, we're not trying to put
00:11 too much expectation on him. We know what a superstar he can be, but it's been a long
00:17 time since he's played international cricket. It's very easy to get very excited about it
00:23 and expecting big things from him, but I think just giving a bit of time. He's happy and
00:29 smiling and loving being back in the changing room as much as he is on the field. He's in
00:34 a really good space.
00:35 Will there be an option for him to play in the first division?
00:40 Certainly an option, yes.
00:41 I think just one of those.
00:42 How do you think that will impact your chances, particularly after tomorrow when you've got
01:02 the team?
01:05 It's probably not something we really think about to be honest. It's more about our preparation
01:10 and what we can do. It's been a really good lead-in. We had a series in Holland before
01:15 we arrived in Trinidad. Then obviously getting a couple of warm-up games in Trinidad was
01:20 good as well, just to get a feel of the conditions. I think we've seen over the year that a lot
01:25 of the wickets can be very different, so just to get a taste of that was really good. Again,
01:29 it's just about us focusing on what we do and our preparation leading in.
01:33 Obviously, there are a lot of special memories from that day, a few years ago now. Since
01:42 then, we've come a long way as a team. Coming into some of these tournaments, we've managed
01:47 to pick up some big wins. I think that's given the team a lot of belief. I think now, coming
01:52 into these tournaments, we want to look to go as far as we can. I think any game that
01:57 we go into, we have the belief that we can win.
01:59 [inaudible]
02:05 [inaudible]
02:33 [inaudible]
02:43 Much the same to us. More focused on here now. Looking forward to it. Obviously, we're
02:50 really excited about the tournament, being here in the Caribbean. Hopefully, we get a
02:56 full game in here. It's always great for us to play against Australia. Always good matches.
03:03 [inaudible]
03:10 I think we've still got staff here, Max here to arrive this morning, or lunchtime, I think.
03:16 After that, we're all here. I think for the guys to get a couple of days at home is really
03:22 important for us as a group and for them personally. Obviously, it takes a few days to get here
03:27 so that adds a few challenges, but they'll be ready to go come the future.
03:32 [inaudible]
03:35 I won't be bowling early on in the tournament. I always joke that as a captain, I hope I
03:41 won't bowl late in the tournament either. I'll progress that slowly over the next 10
03:47 to 12 days and hopefully be available back in the tournament.
03:51 [inaudible]
04:03 For me, it's really easy. We really value a bit of family time. The guys have obviously
04:09 been at the IPL, which I think is great preparation for a World Cup. The value of seeing their
04:16 families and getting them in bed for one or two nights is really important. As a whole,
04:21 we all bought into that and it was really easy to do.
04:24 [inaudible]
04:30 The question is, given that it's just a bigger ball of pressure as a unit, as a team, as
04:37 preparation for this IPL, that's the first part of the question. The second part of the
04:42 question, should there be more space between the end of the IPL and the start of the tournament?
04:49 [inaudible]
04:52 I don't really have an answer for that question and I don't make those decisions. As a group,
04:57 we rock up here to win. Things may look a little bit disjointed at the beginning and
05:03 I think most teams are in the same boat with guys that are playing the IPL or coming out
05:07 of the shop, but that's the nature of the beach at Vintaj Creek these days. We come
05:10 from all over to tours and we'll get around each other the next few days and come together
05:15 and kick off on the 5th for us.
05:19 I think the cards are dealt. There's no point in trying to worry too much about that. Just
05:26 trying to deal with it as best you can. Obviously, we've been together for a little bit this
05:30 series against Pakistan, so that's been helpful for us. I think everyone's just really excited
05:36 for the tournament. We were getting here yesterday, arriving at the ground today to see all the
05:43 World Cup stuff everywhere. It's a great honour and privilege for everyone and everyone's
05:48 balling together in a pretty tight-knit unit, so we're excited for the first game.
05:52 [Question from the audience]
06:19 I think it certainly feels like a World Cup, which is great having everyone involved from
06:25 the outset. I think there's never any easy games. I think there's lots of really talented
06:31 players in every squad, especially in T20 format. It's great, so I'm looking forward
06:37 to the tournament.
06:39 Like Jos, I think it certainly feels like a World Cup. I got presented a Ugandan playing
06:46 shirt the other day in our team hotel, and that was a really special moment. It's not
06:52 just about the cricket throughout these World Cups, it's about opportunity and teams having
06:58 the right to be here. I think that adds a lot of excitement to the whole tournament,
07:03 so it's really special, I think.
07:05 [Question from the audience]
07:08 Pretty similar, to be honest. I think, obviously, having been involved in the tournament before,
07:12 we had the pre-qualifier. I think it's just great for the game. We've got more teams at
07:21 the start of the tournament, 20 teams, it's a great opportunity for everyone. Definitely
07:26 one we're all looking forward to, and I'm sure we're going to see some great games throughout
07:31 the tournament.
07:33 [Question from the audience]
07:49 I think for every player in the team, it's about trying to read the situation of the
07:54 game and play accordingly. I think Jonny's got the experience and the game to play that
07:59 role for us at number four. It's something he's done quite a bit in the T20 side previously
08:06 as well, and he's got great variety in his game. Obviously, he's used to batting in the
08:11 power play should that situation arrive at number four, but he's also got experience
08:16 and power, and a good player who's been throughout the middle phase as well.
08:20 [Question from the audience]
08:31 I think he's excited. I think he's in a good space. He's been away for a long time, but
08:35 he's a very proud guy and he's been playing a lot of cricket for England over that period
08:39 of time, which is where he wants to be. He seems in a good space. His family's going
08:44 to be with him on this trip as well, which is nice. I think, obviously, for him getting
08:51 that injury just before the last T20 World Cup, I'm sure he's really excited for this
08:56 one.
08:57 [Question from the audience]
09:13 I think as part of a professional sportsperson's job, life still goes on outside of the game.
09:20 It's important to try and have things in place that can help that, have really good support
09:25 networks around. Obviously, it was an amazing day a few days ago, very special. I can't
09:35 do too much in the early stages with the little baby, but I'm looking forward to the tournament.
09:41 When I'm on the field, I'll be fully focused.
09:44 [Question from the audience]
09:54 I think we got exactly what we needed to get out of those games. Obviously, Hodgie won't
09:59 be available for selection. Not quite up to it. That was disappointing for him. He misses
10:05 out. But for the guys that have had time off at home, for me to come back and get a bit
10:12 of game time, that's really all we needed from those practice games. We certainly feel
10:16 like we're ready to go now.
10:17 [Question from the audience]
10:31 I think the team seemed in a really good space. I thought we had some really good training
10:35 days around that series as well. Obviously, disappointing to have a couple of washouts.
10:39 But we've got a lot of talented boys in the team, some really good players. It's about
10:45 making sure we provide everything they need to play at their best throughout the tournament.
10:50 If we can do that, we'll be a dangerous team.
10:52 [Question from the audience]
10:57 No added pressure, really. Obviously, it's a nice title to have coming into this tournament.
11:03 It's a new tournament and we want to play well, want to play our brand of cricket and
11:09 go as deep as we can in the tournament.
11:12 [Question from the audience]
11:17 He's been great. For him, it's just about playing well.