Skipper: Jos Buttler
(Picture: PA)Jos Buttler says being England’s white-ball captain is his number one priority as he effectively ruled out a red-ball return, admitting he was “rightfully” dropped from the Test team following a poor Ashes series.
The wicketkeeper-batter was unveiled as the new limited-overs skipper on Thursday following Eoin Morgan’s international retirement vowed to continue in the same boundary-breaking style as his predecessor - though interestingly confirmed that opener Alex Hales is back in the mix for selection.
Buttler played the most recent of his 57 Tests during the 4-0 Ashes defeat to Australia this winter but his white-ball form since has been nothing short of sensational, named MVP after racking 863 runs including four centuries at the IPL, before hitting unbeaten scores of 162 and 86 during the ODI series win over the Netherlands last month.
That prompted Sri Lanka legend Kumar Sangakkara to suggest he could be used as a tone-setting opener in a Test side that is playing a newly expansive brand of cricket under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, but Buttler himself dismissed the idea.
“It’s quite obvious at the minute I was left out on merit,” he said. “Rightfully so. I had a poor Ashes series and I’m not part of the team at the moment. The team is playing fantastically well so it doesn’t look like a team that needs people to get into it. I’m very focussed on the white ball stuff. I think it’s going to be a really big challenge and one that needs my full-time.
“Being captain white ball team is my number one priority so I’m really excited for that. Talking about the test stuff might be a question that never has to be answered unless someone wants to pick me for the team – which hasn’t been the case.”
Buttler takes over a team that last month set a new record for the highest ODI score in history, smashing 498 against the Netherlands.
That mark surpassed their own previous best of 481 set against Australia in 2018, and as England target T20 World Cup glory in Australia this autumn before defending their 50-over crown in India next year, Buttler wants to see his side continue in the trailblazing fashion set by Morgan.
“The team is in a great place isn’t it, and I see the game in a very, very similar way to Eoin,” he said. “I want us to play in exactly the same way. One big thing that we always talked about as a group is not setting boundaries, not having limitations, always keen to improve, always keen to push the bar higher and that’s the thing to try and work on. Where are those areas that we can improve? What can we keep doing? But that style of play, I hope will remain exactly the same.”
On Friday, England named their first white-ball squads of the post-Morgan era, for three match T20 and ODI series’ against India, with Hales again left out.
The Nottinghamshire batter has not played for England since being dropped from the squad on the eve of the 2019 World Cup after failing a drugs test for recreational use.
While the door was never formally closed on a recall, it was felt he had little chance of earning one for as long as Morgan remained in charge, with the former skipper having spoken of a breakdown in trust between Hales and the rest of the team.
When asked about the 33-year-old’s prospects following Morgan’s retirement, Buttler added: “Alex is up for selection, as everyone is in the country.
“We’re really blessed with a lot of strength in depth at the moment, we’ve been really impressed with certain guys who’ve come in and deserve their chance but no, everyone is available for selection.”
