Buttler has a handle on his career

JOS BUTTLER is confident he can juggle his resurgent Test career with commitments as a globe-trotting T20 superstar.

The England batsman has become one of the hottest properties in short form franchise cricket since losing his place in England’s red-ball set-up 18 months ago.

But with further Test call-ups likely after his brilliant series against Pakistan, the possibility of a diary clash or two has just increased.

Buttler said he wants more red-ball action with England but he added that he hopes it does not impact too much on the T20 gigs which underpin his game. “I’ve only played two Test matches, so I am not going to get far ahead of myself,” said Buttler.

“But any time you get the opportunity to play around the world, it’s something that’s helped me in the last two years. There’s a lot of avenues you can go down and hopefully I will have to juggle things, because that would mean I’d been successful.”

Buttler has had three lucrative seasons in the Indian Premier League – signing for Mumbai (for £380,000 in 2016 and for an estimated £450,000 in 2017) and for Rajastan (for £490,000 this year).

He has also played in Big Bash and is halfway through a two-year deal to play with Comilla Victorians in the Bangladesh Premier League.

Currently there is a window for players to play in the IPL but winter tours with England’s Test squad could clash with BBL in December and January or BPL in November. England are set to tour Sri Lanka in October and November.

Buttler believes his time in T20 cricket has resurrected his Test career offering both a financial safety net as well as the licence to play his natural game.

When he talked this week about the “F*** it” message he writes to himself on every bat handle, he maintained such perspective has only come about since he was dropped.

“I haven’t been kicking my heels, saying I’m a failure in Test cricket and regretting how it went for me,” he said. “I have gained a lot of confidence.

“The IPL gave me huge amounts of confidence, to be in those pressure situations in India, playing in front of crowds, the pressure of being an overseas player.

“And that frees you up in your mind. The message on the bat is just something that reminds me of what my best mindset is.

“When I’m playing cricket and probably in life as well it puts things in perspective and when I am in the middle it brings me back to a good place.

“I think I gained a lot of confidence since being dropped.”

Buttler received rave reviews for his blistering knock at Headingley but insisted it was still early days in his third shot at Test cricket.

“It’s a good place to leave it after Headingley,” he said.

“But it’s a hugely exciting summer coming up.

“Moving into the white-ball stuff, Australia and India at home are going to be two massive tests.”