Warne believes Buttler should be opening for the Rajasthan Royals

The cricketing legend went as far as suggesting a world XI would see Buttler included as the opening batsman

Shane Warne, an iconic figure in cricket and a mentor to the Rajasthan Royals believes Jos Buttler should be on hand to open the batting for the IPL franchise. The last three games have seen Somerset-born Buttler move into the middle order, but Australian Warne thinks it’s a mistake not to have him opening the batting.

The Rajasthan Royals are currently languishing at the wrong end of the IPL table, and head into games as outsiders with all reputable betting sites such as William Hill, due to their current form. And, their brand ambassador Warne thinks it’s time to switch up the batting order. Robin Uthappa and Ben Stokes are on opening duty at the time of writing, and it’s this which has seen Buttler shuffle down the pack into the middle order. In his T20 career, you must head back two years since the Lancashire batsman played the role.

In Warne’s opinion, the Royals must revert to the batting order which they went with for three of their first four matches. Jos Buttler led the way, with Steven Smith alongside. The cricketing legend went as far as suggesting a world XI would see Buttler included as the opening batsman. Steven Smith is a reliable player and, therefore, is ideal for working alongside Buttler, becoming the sturdy backbone of the team.

Warne was keen to point out that current opener Ben Stokes is more than capable of opening proceedings with the bat, but that he is more suited to the middle overs. It is, of course, where Stokes has played most of his cricket over the years. So, it makes sense to make the switch to allow Stokes to flourish in a more natural role in which he has performed well in multiple times.

If Warne had his way, Buttle and Smith would be top of the order, with Sanju Samson and Stokes making up the rest of the first four at the crease. Rahul Tewatia has impressed recently, and he’s Warne’s pick for fifth to bat, with youngster Riyan Parag in at six to complete the fifty-one-year-olds list.

The lack of form showed by some of the Royals’ senior players is what Warne believes has led to the team’s think-tank over-thinking and over-complicating matters in terms of the batting order. He thinks the best foot forward is to go back to basics, simplify proceedings and get the best batsmen at the top of the order.

As there are 120 balls in T20 cricket, Warne thinks by having Buttler at the top of the batting, that the thirty-year-old is going to face at least 50% of them. And, by doing so, he will be able to get a lot of runs on the board, which will be of enormous benefit to the Royals, whose form so far in the IPL has been patchy. It remains to be seen whether the Royals coaching team will take Warne’s comments on board, and if so, whether the changes will be made longterm.