England lost by five points to Ireland via the Duckworth Lewis method in a wet match here on Thursday. They had beaten Afghanistan in their first tournament.
With Ireland, Sri Lanka, England and Australia win and lose a game each, the first two places are up for grabs in a tough Group 1.
“I thought we were poor in the first 10 overs and let them get away with it. We weren’t consistent enough, let them score from both sides of the wicket. The second ten overs were much better.
“Ireland were great, they outplayed us. We know we made a mistake here and we put more pressure on, but certainly if you needed a game to start then England-Australia is one of them. .” butler said during the post-match presentation.
Captain of Ireland Andy Balbirnie rejoiced in victory over one of the tournament favourites.
“We were disappointed to lose seven wickets. It was tough, their bowlers had good variations. But we were out of the blocks with Lorcan Tucker. It’s incredible, a kind of emotion.
“Coming here against the tournament favorites is amazing. A few fans in the crowd have extended their stay. Their support has been wonderful and will do a lot to develop the game at home.
“We have Afghanistan here on Friday, a quick turnaround. Expect that. We were lucky the crashes didn’t cost us but we need to improve.”
