Cricket Behind in Running Messages On Field Compared To Other Sports: Buttler On Using Walkie-talkie

Mumbai: Senior batter Jos Buttler said cricket is relatively behind other sports in relaying messages to on-field players, after head coach Brendon McCullum was seen communicating with England captain Harry Brook through a walkie-talking during drinks break in their T20 World Cup clash against Nepal here. But in some sports like Formula 1, Race Engineers direct drivers in real-time via radio, covering strategy, engine settings, tire management, and safety info. In football, managers are allowed to communicate with players from the sidelines.

"I think so, there's (been) walkie-talkies for a while to be fair. But then the communication from top to bottom has always been really good in the group," Buttler told reporters when asked if the motive behind using walkie-talkie was way for McCullum to have a more hands-on approach.

"Baz can sit with his feet up and his sunglasses on and look very relaxed, but he's as sharp a coach as I've ever worked with. He doesn't miss a beat," Buttler said.

"I think also for cricket in general, actually, coaches are getting more involved in real-time in cricket… I've played in the IPL, at Gujarat (Titans), Ashish Nehra is very active on the boundary rope.

"But it seems like cricket is a kind of sport where we are still a bit behind, maybe in that area where you look at other sports, the managers and coaches, and you think of rugby, running messages. So, maybe that will come more and more into cricket."

After the game on Sunday, McCullum's approach was described by England player Will Jacks as a "simple and effective way to pass on information" to the captain or batters in the middle.

The former England captain Buttler said a close finish against Nepal was another indication of the fact that T20 matches can get tighter than expected.

"In the T20 World Cups, (or) T20 cricket, generally the game is so close, one or two players can win games for their side on the day. Ultimately, we found a way to win, which is the most important thing," he said.

"Obviously, the consequences are different. So (we are) Learning how to manage those emotions. The cricket is the same, but the consequences and the pressures of that are then different. If you can hold your nerve and manage to still execute skills, knowing that the consequences are different, that's probably good learning," he added.

Buttler defended England bowlers Adil Rashid and Jofra Archer who gave away more than 80 runs collectively while managing only one wicket between them against Nepal.

"We're all accepting of how T20 cricket works. They were chasing 180 (185). (We) know, the batters are going to come after you and be aggressive. Credit to the Nepal guys, they played really, really well. They ran between the wickets well, found the boundaries when they needed to," Buttler said.

"(The) experienced players, Jofra and Adil in that case, have seen it all before, and they're not immune to people playing well against them. That's allowed," he said.

"We try our best and want to perform really well, but every other country and every other player that we play against is wanting to do the same," Buttler added.

Buttler said the pitch here at the Wankhede Stadium was a bit "tacky" in terms of batting but did not expect conditions to change drastically.

"Not necessarily surprised. (You) can have a good bounce and the red soil can get a bit of spin. It was a little bit tacky, the wicket. Playing at 3 o'clock (in the afternoon) was interesting."

"… working out (if) we could improve, or would it get worse, and they don't be used to make it, obviously, but generally here coming into the evening games, batting second can be an advantage, obviously, playing a night game against the West Indies, so their conditions probably won't change as much," he said.