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Jos Buttler wants his England side to throw off the tag of \u2018defending\u2019 champions at the World Cup, insisting attack is the only thing on their mind in India.<\/p>\n
Buttler remains fiercely proud of the 2019 triumph but has made it clear that the four-year-old title carries little weight once the tournament gets under way on Thursday, when England take on New Zealand in a repeat of the previous final.<\/p>\n
The attachment to the trophy-winning side is clear \u2013 with eight of that squad on duty once again here and a ninth, Jofra Archer, in tow as a travelling reserve \u2013 but the captain is eager to draw a clear line under the past.<\/p>\n
And that starts with banishing unhelpful terminology.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t see us as defending champions. We\u2019re not defending anything. I want us to attack so I don\u2019t like the word defending,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIt may be a motivation for certain teams when they\u2019ve been in that position, but for us it\u2019s irrelevant. It certainly is for me.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s fantastic to be reigning champions and I won\u2019t say we\u2019ve left that behind completely because it\u2019s a nice place to be, but you\u2019ve given that trophy back now.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s done. It\u2019s about trying to create something new. We must be hungry to do it again and try to be focused on something different.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the hunger is there. For most professional sports people, there\u2019s always a want for more, there\u2019s always a desire for more, a hunger for more.<\/p>\n
I don’t see us as defending champions. We’re not defending anything. I want us to attack so I don’t like the word defending<\/p>\n
\u201cWe wouldn\u2019t be here if we were content with what we\u2019ve done and you\u2019re always excited for the new challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n
Buttler was the man who applied the finishing touch that secured England\u2019s first World Cup at Lord\u2019s, completing the run out that separated the two teams on the now defunct boundary countback rule, before taking over as captain for last year\u2019s T20 success in Australia.<\/p>\n
Having unified both white-ball crowns, the next seven weeks offer an opportunity to make it three global trophies in the space of four years.<\/p>\n
That would be the kind of legacy to put England\u2019s golden generation up with the very best there has been and Buttler is happy to be held to such high standards.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re all dreamers and we all want to be able to say those things,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a nice place to be as an English sports team that fans expect you to do well and we\u2019ll try our best for the fans back home and those that make it out here.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the biggest thing is we know we are a team who like being in that position of having expectations on us.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a great place to be, I\u2019d rather be there than a non-fancied side that nobody thinks has a chance.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got some of the best players in the world in our team \u2013 that gives us a great chance.\u201d<\/p>\n
How much further the current team can take their story is open to debate. There are 11 thirtysomethings in the current squad of 15, including five who will be 34 by the end of the month.<\/p>\n
A raft of retirements at the end of the World Cup would hardly be a huge surprise ahead of a new four-year cycle.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know we are an older squad than some and that should be a feather in everyone\u2019s cap because of how professional we are to be playing to the standard we are at this age,\u201d Buttler said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAge is not the defining factor \u2013 and we don\u2019t need to add pressure by saying this is the last one \u2013 but I think it\u2019s quite obvious with a few people being where they are at in their careers and the next ODI World Cup being four years away.<\/p>\n
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\u201cBut we\u2019ll do our thing, we always try and enjoy the pleasure of playing for England. It\u2019s a team that\u2019s been together a long time and there\u2019s some great friendships there and this World Cup is part of that story.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll try and make more great memories and cherish every moment as team-mates, friends and colleagues.\u201d<\/p>\n