Jos is staking his claim for red-ball revolution
Farbrace pays tribute to stand-in skipper
PAUL FARBRACE, England’s assistant coach, says Jos Buttler has a great chance of regaining his Test place for the forthcoming series against Bangladesh after impressing as stand-in one-day captain here.
Buttler this week led England to a 2-1 win against a Bangladesh side that had been unbeaten in home ODI series since last year’s World Cup.
Deputising for Eoin Morgan, who did not travel to Bangladesh on security grounds, Buttler scored two half-centuries and impressed as captain despite an on-field spat with a number of the home side’s players following his dismissal in last Sunday’s second ODI that saw him receive an official reprimand.
With possibly three places in England’s top six up for grabs, it means the 26-year-old has a good chance of playing in next week’s first Test in Chittagong.
Buttler has only played one first-class match for Lancashire since being dropped during last winter’s Test series defeat against Pakistan in the UAE.
But Farbrace admitted: “The way he has batted out here, he looks like he has batted on different wickets and if he can go and convince himself to play that way in red-ball cricket, there is no reason why he should not see himself as a batter and get back in.
“He is on this trip as second keeper to start with, but if he gets an opportunity and he can play that way, there is no reason why he can’t get back in the side.
“If you are here in the squad you have a genuine chance of playing.”
As for Morgan, Farbrace insists England’s limited-overs captain will lead the team for the next one-day series in India in January despite missing this trip.
“Definitely – 100 per cent,” he said. “He will definitely be captain when we go to India.
“There cannot be any other way around it. He deserves it. The team is continually improving and getting better and he has been the leader and enabled so many people to play that way.”
England will begin their preparations for the first Test with their opening warm-up match against a Bangladesh Cricket Board XI in Chittagong today.
In the absence of Alastair Cook, the Test captain who is back home to attend the birth of his second child, Ben Duckett and Haseeb Hameed are set to open in the first of two two-day matches.
“The two of them will open,” confirmed Farbrace. “It’s an opportunity for both of them to get in the side.”