GEORGE DOBELL: Despite a tough few months against the red ball, the wicketkeeper-batter wants to continue to play the format and hopes to be included in the squad which is scheduled to play three Tests in the West Indies in March.
Jos Buttler wants to keep playing all three formats of international cricket despite his struggles on the Ashes tour insisting he still has “an immense amount of belief” in his own ability.
Buttler has established himself as one of the greatest limited-overs batters in England’s history and could be expected to remain in high demand as a T20 specialist if he reduced his international commitments.
But, despite a tough few months against the red ball, Buttler says he wants to continue to play the format and hopes to be included in the squad which is scheduled to play three Tests in the Caribbean in March.
And before that, he is determined to prevent England from succumbing to a 5-0 defeat in Australia.
“Yes, I hope to be on that West Indies tour,” he said from England’s hotel in Sydney. “It’s certainly my ambition [to keep playing all three formats]. I don’t think I’d have put as much into it as I have done if it wasn’t.
“I have fantastic family support. They’re very supportive of me and my career and make a lot of sacrifices for that. That’s one thing that gives you a lot of motivation and drive to try to make it all worth it. It’s certainly maintained my drive and ambition to try and play.”
It has been a troubling tour with the bat and gloves for Buttler (Brenton Edwards/Getty Images)
Buttler’s Test form has been modest in recent months. Since returning to the side during the English summer, has averaged just 16.80 in six Tests and he hasn’t reached 40 in 13 Test innings.
At the same time, he has struggled for consistency with the gloves and, as well as taking some outstanding catches, has missed some straightforward opportunities. The dropping of Marnus Labuschagne, off the unfortunate James Anderson, in Adelaide was especially memorable.
“You’ve just got to maintain that belief in yourself,” Buttler said. “It’s a very lonely place dropping a catch. It certainly hurts and it’s one of the worst feelings in cricket. You’re letting down your mates. It doesn’t just hurt you: it hurts the whole team.
“You’ve certainly got to be able to be very strong with your character to try to come through that. Especially when you’re wicket-keeping, there’s nowhere to hide.
“But with two Test matches still to play, there’s a hell of a lot to play for. People talk about playing for pride in the badge and that’s a massive motivation for everyone."
“You have to let it pass. Accept you made a mistake, catch the next one and move on. It doesn’t mean it’s easy, but that’s what you’ve got to able to do.
“The one thing you must do is maintain belief in yourself. I still have an immense amount of belief in my own ability. I know members of the team will be questioned on the outside, but not believing in yourself is when you really start to get on a downward spiral.”
While Buttler produced an admirably defiant innings which gave England hope of avoiding defeat in Adelaide, he suffered another low moment in Melbourne. Moments before tea, with his side in trouble, he was caught at deep mid-wicket for three as he attempted to hit Nathan Lyon over mid-on.
“Mid-off and mid-on were up and I wanted to attack the spinner,” he explained. “I think in hindsight, coming just before a tea break, it is obviously a poor time to get out.
“But I wanted to be attacking and positive in that innings. I saw that as an opportunity to score. I didn’t execute that. That’s all it is.”
It remains to be seen what becomes of England's current Test leadership group (Patrick Hamilton/AFP/Getty Images)
Whether Buttler’s Test career has a future beyond this series isn’t entirely up to him, of course. Like several other members of this tour party – coaches and players – his future depends, in part, on selection.
It remains possible that this Ashes series will prove something of a watershed moment; the team could well have a new look in a few weeks. It might also be noted that the value of central contracts – which run from October to September – have reduced the likelihood of players retiring mid-cycle.
In the short-term term, Buttler believes there is “a hell of a lot to play for” with the motivation to avoid a whitewash especially strong.
“There’s an overriding sense of disappointment and frustration with the situation we’ve found ourselves in,” he said. “We’ve not competed or played the cricket we wanted to at the start of the tour. We’re not gelling as a group and individually playing well enough to compete with Australia. We certainly don’t want to be a team to lose 5-0.
“But with two Test matches still to play, there’s a hell of a lot to play for. People talk about playing for pride in the badge and that’s a massive motivation for everyone. There’s certainly a lot of pride to play for.
“Every game you start, you start afresh. We must maintain belief and come around from the disappointment of where we’re at in the series to prepare as well as we can do for the game in Sydney. There’s always loads to play for in an England shirt, and we’ll turn up determined to play the cricket we know we can.”
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Posted by Steward ward on 02/01/2022 at 10:35
It’s crazy to think that bairstow’s average when wicket keeping is 37 and yourself George, amongst others, were desperate to replace bairstow with buttler as keeper. Years have gone by and we now have to read how Buttler wants to continue, yet he only averages around 31 playing as keeper. Buttler should never have been anywhere near the England side and his inclusion disrupted a number of players roles in the team, including soaked, Ali, bairstow and possibly even stokes. The fact that he is still in the side highlights englands selection priorities which seem to be based on ‘potential’, technique and who the media likes, rather than who scores runs.