England is well prepared, but Australia is the favourite, says Buttler

• England captain Jos Buttler rates Australia as favourites to win Twenty20 World Cup on home soil.
• Former champions England begin their quest for a second 20-overs World Cup title on Oct. 22 against Afghanistan.

England skipper Jos Buttler expressed satisfaction with his team’s preparation but rated winners Australia as the favourites to win the Twenty20 World Cup on home soil, he said in comments to the media on Saturday

England won a seven-match Twenty20 series in Pakistan before heading to Australia, where they defeated their hosts and incumbent world champions twice but were denied a 3-0 series sweep by rain.

Before the match was called off on Friday, Buttler hammered 65 not out in the third match, his second fifty in three innings after recovering from a calf injury.

“I think history tells you that generally, the host nations are slight favourites in big tournaments,” the opener said in a pre-tournament media conference.

“A lot of individuals have played in Australia in such conditions, but no one will know or be as accustomed to them as the Australian squad and the reigning champs.”

Last year, England finished first in the Super12 group stage, ahead of Australia, but were defeated in the semi-finals by New Zealand.

Buttler claimed that the format was unpredictable and that the competition was fierce.

“In T20 cricket, one person can take the game away from you,” said Buttler, a proven match-winner himself.

“We’ve had good preparation. We look forward to this tournament and don’t try and read too much into past tournaments or things.

“We try and learn and get better and improve every day, and look forward to starting this competition in the next week.”

Former champions England begin their quest for a second 20-overs World Cup title on Oct. 22 against Afghanistan in Perth.

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