Buttler keen to captain England again
Notts agree to have Ball for next 3 years
CARDIFF, UK, June 18, (AFP): Jos Buttler will have no qualms about captaining England again should he be asked to lead the side when they seek a series-clinching win over Australia at Trent Bridge on Tuesday.
The wicket-keeper found himself unexpectedly thrust into the role when regular one-day international skipper Eoin Morgan pulled out shortly before the start of Saturday’s second One-Day International in Cardiff.
The extra responsibility did not appear to inhibit Buttler, who struck a typically blistering 91 not out in a total of 342 for eight that also featured a century from Jason Roy.
He then led the side from behind the stumps in the field as England won by 38 runs to go 2-0 up in a five-match series.
Buttler, reflecting on captaining England at Sophia Gardens, said: “I enjoyed it.
“It’s a bit more stressful going through lots of decisions, (and) the buck stops with you.
“As vice-captain you can suggest a few (ideas), and hide behind that.”
Buttler previously led England during a series win in Bangladesh in October 2016 when Morgan refused to tour because of security concerns.
Buttler said the burden of captaining England, the world’s top-ranked ODI side, was eased by the fact the team contained several experienced players.
“The guys know what they’re doing,” he explained. “It’s a very good side to captain.
“At times it captains itself, with defined roles for the players and a lot of experience in the group.”
There is a theory that the job of being a wicket-keeper demands so much concentration it leaves little spare capacity for the additional cares of leadership.
But both England and Australia were led by keepers on Saturday, with Tim Paine now the tourists’ full-time Test and ODI skipper after Steve Smith was given a year-long ban for his role in March’s ball-tampering scandal in South Africa.
“I don’t think it’s impossible to do so,” said Buttler.
“Lots of captains have been wicket-keepers as well,” the 27-year-old added.
“You’ve got a pretty good position to see what’s happening and what’s going on, so I don’t think it’s a problem.”
Shaun Marsh scored a fine century to give Australia, the reigning world champions, hope of an improbable win on Saturday until leg-spinner Adil Rashid and fast bowler Liam Plunkett took late wickets to seal 2019 World Cup hosts England’s victory.
“There’s a World Cup round the corner, so we need to keep polishing up in those areas we can improve,” said Buttler. “It’s very important for us to continue to show why we got ourselves to number one in the world.
“But we’ve got to keep going game by game, and not get ahead of ourselves or complacent.”
England are set to issue an update on Morgan’s fitness, and that of sidelined all-rounders Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes, on Monday.
Stokes and Woakes were both ruled out of the early part of the Australia series, but the indications are that Woakes’s thigh problem may be more severe than Stokes’s torn hamstring.
Meanwhile, England pace bowler Jake Ball committed himself to English county championship side Nottinghamshire for a further three years on Monday.
The 27-year-old — capped four times at Test level since making his debut against Pakistan in 2016 — says he is delighted to be remaining with his home county with the new contract keeping him there till the end of the 2021 campaign.
Ball, who has also played 17 times for England in One-Day Internationals, helped Notts to success in both the One-Day Cup and the T20 Blast last season as well as being instrumental in their regaining their county championship first division status.
“Being Notts born and bred, I’m delighted to sign up to my home county for three more years,” Ball told the club’s website.
“It was fantastic to be involved in the success we had last year and I hope we can have more as a club in the seasons to come.”
Head coach Peter Moores said that Ball’s vote of confidence in the club was a terrific news for the development of both the club and the player.
“He continues to develop as a player and his contributions across all three formats have been instrumental in our success over the last 12 months,” said Moores.
“He has the ability to change a game through his pace and movement and that’s something everyone wants in their team.”