Os Buttler says being England’s white ball captain is his number one priority, as he effectively ruled out a red ball return, admitting he was “rightly” dropped from the Test squad after a poor series around the Ashes.
The wicketkeeper-batsman was revealed on Thursday as the new captain of the limited overs after Eoin Morgan’s international retirement promised to continue in the same frontier-shifting style as his predecessor – although it was interestingly confirmed that the opening batsman, Alex Hales, is back in the mixture for selection.
Buttler played the most recent of his 57 Tests during the 4-0 Ashes defeat to Australia this winter, but his white ball form has since been nothing short of sensational, being named MVP after scoring 863 runs, including four centuries at the IPL, before striking unbeaten. scores of 162 and 86 during the ODI series victory over the Netherlands last month.
This led Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara to suggest that he could be used as a leading opener in a Test squad playing a new expansive cricket type under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, but Buttler himself rejected the idea.
“It’s very clear at the moment that I’m left on merit,” he said. “Really so. I had a weak Ashes series and I am not part of the team at the moment. The team plays fantastically well so it does not look like a team that needs people to get into it. I’m very focused on the white ball well. I think it’s going to be a really big challenge and one that needs me full time.
“Being captain of a white ball team is my number one priority, so I am very excited about it. Talking about the test stuff may be a question that never needs to be answered unless someone wants to select me for the team – which was not the case. “
Buttler takes over a team that set a new record for the highest one-day score in history last month, with 498 against the Netherlands.
That point surpassed their own previous best of 481 drawn against Australia in 2018, and as England target the T20 World Cup glory in Australia this autumn before defending their 50-over crown in India next year, Buttler wants to see his team on the pioneering way continue. set by Morgan.
“The team is in a great place, isn’t it, and I see the game in a very, very similar way to Eoin,” he said. “I want you to play in exactly the same way. One big thing we have always talked about as a group is not to set boundaries, not to have limitations, always eager to improve, always eager to push the bar higher and that is the thing to try work. Where are those areas we can improve? What can we keep doing? But that style of play, I hope, will remain exactly the same. “
English white ball captain Morgan retires from international cricket
England on Friday named their first post-Morgan-era white-ball squad for three T20 and EDI series matches against India, with Hales once again left out.
The Nottinghamshire batsman has not played for England since being kicked out of the squad on the eve of the 2019 World Cup after failing a drug test for recreational use.
Although the door was never formally closed on a recall, it was felt he had little chance of earning one as long as Morgan remained in charge, with the former captain talking about a rift in trust between Hales and the rest of the team.
Asked about the 33-year-old’s prospects after Morgan’s retirement, Buttler added: “Alex is about to be selected, as everyone is in the country.
“We are really blessed with a lot of strength in depth at the moment, we are really impressed with certain guys who have come in and deserve their chance, but no, everyone is available for selection.”