England must liberate Jos Buttler in order to see white-ball gallantry in Tests

SIMON HUGHES: While Rishabh Pant has a license to play his natural game in India's middle-order, Buttler has not yet been let off the leash and plays within himself

The former Surrey and England batsman Alistair Brown is interviewed in the forthcoming issue of The Cricketer Magazine. He, you may remember, holds the world record for the highest list A individual score – 268 v Glamorgan at The Oval in 2002.

He made two other one-day double hundreds for Surrey as well as 16 limited-overs centuries. He could be totally destructive and, and was a nightmare to bowl at. Yet he only played 16 one day internationals and was dropped a number of times. His explanation is revealing.

"In my first ODI, I was opening with Mike Atherton," he recalls. "I was given the role as a pinch hitter on a seaming wicket. I ran at the bowlers because I wanted them to bowl short at me. I got 37 and I was vilified in the press. I got a duck in my second ODI and 118 in the third ODI, and then I got dropped.

"After that, I always felt in every ODI I played, that I was always two games away from getting dropped. Players that are positive are always going to go through the odd run where they don’t play quite so well, but they are match-winners, and match-winners are going to take more risks which means at times, they are not always going to come off.”

^{Buttler was bowled through the gate by Ishant Sharma}

He speaks with feeling.

There are parallels here with Jos Buttler. He is even more talented than Brown if by ‘talent’ we mean an ability to hit decent balls from high-class bowlers monumental distances and in all directions with an apparent nonchalance that belies their intense competitive instincts.

Such players may be seen as a luxury – they are liable to be inconsistent as Brown indicates – but they are worth indulging. They are potential match-winners, as Buttler has proved – most recently in that brilliant run chase against Pakistan at Old Trafford last summer.  But they need to feel indulged too – they need to have the sense that colleagues, coaches and the wider public – believe in them and back them.

The evidence from Buttler’s batting in this series suggests that he is not entirely convinced that they do. He is quite a self-deprecating character and is naturally sensitive to what people may or may not be saying about him. He will undoubtedly have the backing of the team. They know what he is capable of.

But, partly because he has played so little cricket against the red-ball this summer, and also because of England’s top order fallibility, he seems uncertain of his role. There is hesitancy in his play.

He had a decent platform to build on at Lord’s (Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow’s fourth-wicket partnership of 121) but looked a little tentative in defence, plopped an unconvincing off-drive just over the head of a short mid-off and was beaten a number of times outside off-stump. A patchy inning of 23 from 42 balls came to an end when he attempted to drive a ball from Ishant Sharma which wasn’t quite full enough and snaked through to his off-stump. Buttler’s lack of total conviction in the shot (and innings) suggested that he is not quite certain of his role.

^{Rishabh Pant never dies wondering}

The play of Rishabh Pant offers a clue. He is given his head every time he bats and takes it. If he feels like running down the wicket to Jimmy Anderson or ramping the second new ball he is encouraged to do so. Bowlers are uncertain what his approach might be – only that it will be unconventional – and that is off-putting. The Indians love him for his daredevil approach.

Buttler needs to feel the same reassurance to play with the freedom he does in the white ball game. He feels he has a license to thrill in that team because of its depth of batting. He may feel the responsibility to play a more cautious game in England’s fragile Test match batting order.

He should be urged instead to play with the fearlessness and power that makes him such a threat in white-ball cricket. It will not be easy but we must trust him to be true to himself, applaud him when he succeeds and forgive him when he fails.

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