Buttler's 'f*ck it' mantra helps England vice-captain prove he belongs

SAM MORSHEAD: Back to the wall, he was asked to graft. Forget the fireworks of T20, forget the frenetics, forget the fury… how long can you bat against a destructive, multi-faceted attack? Buttler had an answer, and it was the one England wanted

^{Jos Buttler made his maiden Test century against India at Trent Bridge}

Sometimes, f*ck it really is the best answer.

When you’re sitting at the top of the zip wire, staring down towards the ground and calculating the height. F*ck it.

When the office grind is wearing you down and you can’t stop daydreaming of a different life. F*ck it.

And, as it so happens, when you walk out to bat with five-and-a-half sessions left to save a Test match, your place under tremendous scrutiny and your team in a whole heap of trouble.

F*ck it. F*ck it. F*ck it.

^{Buttler hit 106 from 176 balls, sharing in a big partnership with Ben Stokes}

Jos Buttler subscribes to that mentality, as we all came to learn in 2018 thanks to the long lenses of Sky Sports’ cameras and some razor-sharp screen-grabbing work from cricket’s Twitterverse.

At the top of his short-handle, the softly-spoken and utterly charming batsman has the very short but highly impactful motto scribbled in permanent marker.

The words, he says, represent the way he tries to go about his work in the middle. Free from worry, free from angst, free from the reminder that until around 5pm on Tuesday afternoon he had never scored a Test ton and was without a first-class century for four long years.

It’s not that Buttler doesn’t care - contrary to what some of his white-ball performances down the years would have you believe, the guy is in fact human and as such will experience human-like emotions; fear, introspection, anxiety and the like.

It’s that caring too much does him no favours.

^{Buttler's knock came after England collapsed at the top of the order at Trent Bridge}

At Trent Bridge, with his side 62 for four, their top order having been swept away once again like the house built on sand, there is absolutely no doubt that the walk to the wicket would have been a tentative one.

But, as Buttler himself has previously explained, those two little words give him an element of perspective.

“It’s just a good reminder when I’m in the middle, when I’m questioning myself, and it brings me back to a good place.”

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The England No.6 was in a great place on day four in Nottingham. Ultimately, his maiden Test hundred will count for little from a team perspective, but from a personal point of view this was a hugely significant day.

Back to the wall, he was asked to graft. Forget the fireworks of Twenty20, forget the frenetics, forget the fury… how long can you bat against a buoyant, destructive, multi-faceted attack? Buttler had an answer, and it was the one the selectors, his team-mates and England supporters wanted to hear.

Dropped on one, he settled quickly into a partnership ultimately worth 169 with Ben Stokes.

^{Buttler is congratulated by Virat Kohli after his dismissal}

Picking the right balls to play, the right balls to leave - a discipline seemingly alien to some of his colleagues at the top of the English batting line-up, and the right balls to be punished, he proved that yes, he is good enough for Test cricket. And yes, he is there on merit, regardless of how much of the red ball he has faced over the past 18 months.

Buttler batted for 58 overs, facing 176 balls before he was pinned lbw offering no shot to Jasprit Bumrah. It was contemplative, considerate, careful batting, only slightly interrupted by three boundaries in an over off Mohammed Shami which accelerated him through the 90s and to his maiden Test hundred.

Three times this summer, Buttler has played Test knocks of 100 balls or more in duration. No one in the England side has played more. Here, he looks set to have top-scored in both innings, with this century added to 39 first time around.

There are many more pressing issues in this England team right now than the suitability of their vice-captain.

This performance ought to be enough to prove that by itself.