Jos Buttler has revealed he feared losing England’s white-ball captain but is more determined than ever to lead them into the “next era” alongside Brendon McCullum.
England’s surrender of two limited-overs World Cups in the space of a few months led to Matthew Mott being sacked as head coach, but chief cricket officer Rob Key decided to stick with Buttler.
Buttler has linked up with England in Barbados ahead of his return this week, but he will not pick up the gloves for the T20 series against the West Indies, which starts on Saturday.
“I thought it was possible, absolutely,” admitted Buttler when asked if he thought the decision to be stripped of the captaincy could have been different.
“But Casey believed I could take the team forward and the captaincy into the future. I had a good chat with him and said I don’t want to do it because I’m the only person who can do it, I want to.” do it because I’m the right person to do it.
“I’ve really enjoyed the honor of doing it, it’s something I believe I can do well, something I know I can always get better at, just like batting or wicket-keeping, it’s a skill. , which you can improve.
“In fact, it became very clear that you were determined to do this and continue.”
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Jos Buttler talks about the impact of new England limited overs boss Brendon McCullum
Buttler felt “responsible” for axing Mott following England’s T20 World Cup semi-final exit in June, with McCullum poised to replace the Australian in January and combine coaching roles.
McCullum, who coaches England’s Test team from April 2022, outlined his mission to cheer on Buttler in a bid to turn around the fortunes of England’s flagship ODI and T20 side after labeling him “miserable at times” during their ongoing struggles.
Missing four months with a nasty calf injury has given Buttler a fresh look at the rest of his career, and after several talks with McCullum, the 34-year-old double world champion intends to assess his time off as well as preside over his continued white-ball rehabilitation.
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Brendon McCullum says he is very confident in Jos Buttler’s position as white-ball captain and wants him to enjoy playing for England again.
“For however long I play, and I hope it’s a long time, I just want to be around and help develop the next era of white-ball cricket and really really enjoy this part of my cricket,” Buttler said.
“I shouldn’t try to defend anything or hang on in any way, I just want this to be an incredibly satisfying time in my life.
“When you get an injury like that, it makes you realize how desperate you are to get back and what you really enjoy doing is thinking about how long I’ve been back.”
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Captain Jos Buttler smashed five sixes to lead England to victory in the T20 World Cup against USA.
Butler: I am very happy that it will come out
Buttler’s third calf injury in four years kept him out of the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean as a couple of setbacks ruled him out of Australia’s tour of England in September and the ODI series defeat against the West Indies last week.
He is set to return to the first T20 in Barbados on Saturday as a specialist batsman, with Phil Salt taking over as wicketkeeper, allowing Buttler to interact more freely with his bowlers.
Buttler admitted the decision was taken after consulting with McCullum, who himself started with the gloves before ditching them to focus on New Zealand’s captaincy duties.
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Jos Buttler hit a huge six against the USA that damaged the solar panel on the roof of the Kensington Oval.
“His back was not allowing him to keep the wicket. But when he moved to be close to the bowler, he found it incredibly advantageous and a great place for the captain to be close to the bowler and deliver, probably at the last minute,” he said he.
“I’m open to anything, if it’s good for me, it’s good for the team. I’m pretty happy to go out there. I think there are positives and negatives in both groups.
“I’m very committed to this series. At the end of the series, I can see how it went, what are the really good things it allowed me to do, and then move on from there.”
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Highlights of the T20 World Cup final semi-final between India and England in Guyana
West Indies bring in star players for T20
West Indies have called up a host of star players in Aqeel Hossain, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran and Andre Russell for the first two T20s against England.
The quartet all missed the recent trip to Sri Lanka due to personal reasons and only Hetmyer featured in the Windies’ recent 2-1 ODI series win over England.
But they were recalled ahead of a weekend doubleheader against a Butler team in Bridgetown.
Alzari Joseph is out with a two-match ban handed down by Cricket West Indies for arguing with captain Shai Hope during the series win over England at Kensington Oval on Wednesday.
Alzari Joseph (L) is out with a two-match ban imposed by Cricket West Indies following an altercation with captain Shai Howe.
Matthew Ford, named player of the ODI series, replaces Joseph in the 15-man squad.The Windies will reconvene after the matches on Saturday and Sunday ahead of the final three matches in St Lucia next week.
“The T20 team is our strongest team with a lot of experienced players,” said Windies head coach Darren Sammy.
“However, the challenge will be to pick the 11 as every player is fighting for a place in the XI.
“As we face a very good England team, I am confident that the squad will continue to play the brand of cricket that allows us to win games and this series.”
