Buttler leads from front in clean sweep
Stand-in captain’s undefeated 86 eases England to victory Roy’s century helps seal 3-0 series win over Netherlands
Stand-in captain Jos Buttler gave a clear message that England are well placed to cope with Eoin Morgan’s eventual departure, as his heroics sealed a third one-day international win over the Netherlands.
Morgan missed yesterday’s eightwicket victory owing to a tight groin, but first in the field and then with the bat, Buttler proved an able deputy as he led by example, grinning broadly after lofting the straight six which clinched the win.
In partnership with centurion Jason Roy, Buttler’s undefeated 86 helped England race to their target with 19.5 overs to spare. With the target in sight, Buttler delighted the raucous travelling supporters with an array of his most spectacular shots.
“I did enjoy it,” Buttler said of deputising for Morgan. “I find it’s a different challenge, of course. I’ve got to work that out. It’s too early to have a style. I’ve got to try to be myself – I can’t try to be him – and just open to learning about it, really.”
Pushing his claims as the bowler best placed to reprise Liam Plunkett’s role in the 2019 World Cup side as aggressive enforcer, Brydon Carse snared Tom Cooper and Bas de Leede with short deliveries as the Netherlands threatened to score 40 more than the eventual 244 for eight.
Perhaps Buttler’s most notable decision was not to give Moeen Ali a single over, seemingly because of the lack of Dutch left-handers, but even this echoed how Morgan has often used Moeen’s off-spin.
Meaningful judgment on Buttler’s captaincy will have to wait for more onerous days, though he will be encouraged to have now recorded six wins from nine ODIS as captain. As importantly, there is no indication of the extra responsibility affecting his batting: so far, Buttler averages 48.1 as captain.
For all the focus on the issue of captaincy, the relish for using Buttler at four was another notable feature of the series. He has normally been promoted either during matches with reduced overs or with England in a dominant position when setting a target. This time was different: Buttler came out at the end of the 10th over, after Paul van Meekeren had bowled Phil Salt and Dawid Malan in the space of three deliveries, and was afforded the luxury of time.
Buttler’s tally for the series of 248 runs from 134 balls without being dismissed – both from No4 – hints at what England can gain from elevating him in the order. If Buttler is to occupy the twin crucial roles of captain and No4 for England’s ODI World Cup defence in 16 months, they will have to decide whether it is prudent for him to do so while also keeping wicket too.
While Salt’s straight driving – again evident during his rapid 49 – added to his outstanding impression this series, England’s need for players to press their claims was greatest with the ball. This informed the selection of five left-arm quicks for the series; all bar Luke Wood played at some point. David Willey’s four for 36, dismissing Vikramjit Singh with a new-ball bouncer and then using his variations cannily at the death, wrapped up his fine series.
On international debut, David Payne also impressed. Denied a wicket when Liam Livingstone lost sight of a short ball top-edged into the on side, a slower ball secured Payne his maiden wicket, dismissing Scott Edwards after his third consecutive half-century.
For the small but passionate cricket community in the Netherlands, hosting the world champions for three games in Amstelveen was a wonderful fillip for the sport. England, you hope, will find a way to repay the Netherlands’ generosity.
The best way of doing so would be to include the Netherlands in the T20 Blast and One-day Cup, which would accelerate the development of young players like De Leede, whose maiden ODI half-century gave a hint of his talents.
A regular Four Nations T20 competition, featuring England – even without their Test specialists – Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands, could also galvanise the game’s growth in Europe.