Jos Buttler commits to England Tests as decision over upcoming schedule looms

NICK HOWSON: The India and Australia series will take priority for Buttler ahead of a "daunting" fixture list which includes matches in six different countries

England men's cricket fixtures - summer 2021: Full schedule and dates

Jos Buttler has refused to openly criticise the volume of cricket England's cricketers have to play but is adamant the Test series against India and Australia are his priorities.

The management of the 30-year-old's schedule during the winter saw him play both Tests in Sri Lanka and the win over India in Chennai before returning home.

He returned to India for the T20 and one-day international series, before playing in the eventually-curtailed Indian Premier League with Rajasthan Royals.

Despite the tournament being postponed due to an outbreak of Covid-19 cases which saw England's players return in early May, Buttler was among those given extra time to recuperate and missed the Test series defeat to New Zealand.

Returning for the start of the white-ball portion of the season which sees England face Sri Lanka and Pakistan in three T20s and three ODIs each, multi-format players such as Buttler face a relentless schedule between now and the West Indies tour between January and March 2022.

^{It appears as though Buttler will focus on the red-ball this summer}

The demands of non-stop schedules have been made unsustainable by Covid-19 regulations both home and abroad meaning sporadic breaks from the sport are now par for the course.

While Buttler wished to shift questions about whether England are scheduled to play too much cricket, it is clear he believes a rethink is required.

"In terms of how much cricket we play, we play a hell of a lot," he admitted. "It is a short career and you want to be available and play as much as you can but I don't think that is possible. 

"Covid has complicated that even more with quarantines and bubble environments. We're playing a lot of cricket. 

"I know there has been some criticism from the outside but we're in a situation where you've got to look after people and you have to applaud the guys for trying to be forward-thinking and trying to look after people. Is it perfect? No I don't think so but I'd prefer we look after our guys."

^{For now, Buttler's attention turns to the limited-overs formats}

Buttler is yet to open a dialogue with the ECB regarding his schedule but appears to hold the home Test series against India and the Ashes in Australia as the priorities, having missed the last five. Joe Root and Chris Silverwood are hopeful both he and Ben Stokes will be available when the red-ball team reconveen. "That's the dream, isn't it? I'll be available and fingers crossed. I want to play as much as I can."

From the outside looking in, the most obvious window of rest will come before the T20 World Cup when England are due to warm-up for the tournament against Bangladesh and Pakistan. That would be complicated by the rescheduled IPL, which director of men's cricket Ashley Giles says players will not be released for.

There is also the possibility of this white-ball window, which includes the inaugural edition of The Hundred, being used for players to rest up.

"You have to find a balance," added Buttler. "We all like to plan, we'd like to be able to and if you're just sucking and seeing going into the biggest year of international cricket that's a lack of planning. There has to be an element of flexibility but it is also important to plan as well. 

"I don't think there is any preference for any formats at the moment. You're just trying to work it out with how your years look. The guys who play the IPL that is another load of cricket as well."