MELBOURNE: England cricket captain Jos Buttler said his team retained an advantage playing last in the final round of group matches at the Twenty20 World Cup as they will know exactly what is needed in terms of net run rate to reach the semi-finals.

England’s encounter with champions Australia was abandoned without a ball bowled due to rain on Friday, leaving both teams’ semi-finals hopes hanging in the balance and fans disappointed at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The 2010 champions are second in Group 1 where four teams are on three points. Buttler said a win against leaders New Zealand on Tuesday would leave them with their destiny in their own hands when they face Sri Lanka in their last game.

“It could be a small advantage, but to make use of that we need to win against New Zealand... Everyone’s rested and ready to go,” said Buttler, whose side lost to Ireland in their last game as rain forced an early finish.

“There’s a lot of frustration as well from the last game. People want to right that performance. So we’ll train well and look forward to a tough challenge against New Zealand.”

Buttler said he was not too frustrated that Friday’s washout mea­nt a longer gap between matches.

“I think it probably worked well both ways in our favour,” Buttler said. “Whether we had a bit of time to digest it and let it hurt and sort of deal with it and come past it. Of course this was a huge occasion and needed full focus and attention so you would have moved on quickly... Now we have a few days. If people need to deal with it more, you can deal with that.

“There’s excitement to get back on the field. Everyone wants to play cricket, and talented guys on our team want to get out there and showcase the best of their abilities. We’ll have to wait until the game now against New Zealand.”

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2022