Buttler ready for Ashes challenge
CRICKET
JOS Buttler says England can win the Ashes Down Under – if they keep their mind on the cricket.
The wicketkeeper batsman will be a key man if Joe Root’s side are to bring the Urn back from Australia.
It won’t be a normal tour though thanks to the ongoing COVID restrictions meaning the players will be in a bubble.
And the Aussies haven’t had things all plain sailing either.
They have just lost their captain Tim Paine in a dick-pics scandal that forced him to resign.
Buttler says England need to handle all those distractions to win the series.
He added: “Around the Ashes, there’s always certain things go on and the guys that can deal with the distractions an Ashes series throws up is the team that’s going to play best.”
It’s not 100% certain that the series will go ahead thanks to the new Omicron COVID variant.
Buttler says the players just have to carry on best they can.
Preparation
He added: “That’s not for me to worry about at the minute. There’s a week to go until the first Test here and all our energies are focused on that.
“I do think it’s something that you just have to deal with as a modern player, to be able to walk into situations without having full preparation.
“No team should be using that as excuses, you can still turn up on that first day and play a really good Test match.”
But there is no doubt the tour will be messed around by new rules being introduced in Australia.
It looks like the Test in Perth won’t be happening after the State Premier said the players would have to quarantine for 14 days once they arrived in the city.
England are currently in Brisbane where the first Test starts next week. Their first practice match was washed out by rain.