Jos Buttler refused to blame the rain, or ‘gamesmanship’, for England’s shock defeat by Ireland at the T20 World Cup.
England were loose with the ball after putting their opponents in to bat at the MCG but dragged things back well as Ireland slipped from 103 for one to 157 all out.
But with the constant threat of rain, England’s reply faltered and they never got above the DLS par score, leaving the Irish to celebrate a memorable five-run win when the game was finally halted.
Asked if he had any qualms about the early finish, Buttler said: ‘Not really, it was only going to get heavier. They outplayed us in all three facets of the game. The better team won today.’
Ireland were two overs behind the rate when the rain came and, had Moeen hit the next ball for six having taken 12 off three deliveries from Gareth Delany – England would have been ahead on DLS.