Now Jos must do it in Test cricket

TREVOR BAYLISS smiles when he contemplates the contrast between the Jos Buttler who went 23 innings without a half century for England and the batsman who produced one of the great one-day displays in Dubai on Friday.

‘An old mate of mine, an Australian selector from a few years ago, once said to me, “there’s nothing like a good dropping to get a player back on track”,’ said the England coach. ‘It’s not that Jos wasn’t trying hard enough but when we left him out there was a definite feeling of relief come over him.’

That dropping came after the second Test against Pakistan when Buttler made nought and seven in the same Dubai Stadium. ‘It just allowed him to get away and refresh his thinking and it’s done him the world of good,’ said Bayliss after Buttler returned to his best as England wrapped up a 3-1 50-over series win.

It was revealing to see how delighted this tightknit young team were for Buttler when he beat his own record for the fastest one-day hundred by an Englishman with an extraordinary knock.

He reached 50 off 36 balls and then added his second 50 off just 16 more. A man who had already made hundreds for England off 67 and 61 balls had beaten his best by 15 deliveries. And the innovation and range of shots which brought him eight sixes was truly staggering.

‘It was the first time I’d seen him do something like that live,’ said Bayliss. ‘I’m not sure I’ve got words to describe it. It was fantastic.’

Buttler is so, so good it would be criminal to leave him out of Test cricket in the long-term. ‘He probably could play like that in Test cricket but whether he would allow himself to actually do it is the question,’ said Bayliss.

‘I’m sure he will still play a lot of Test cricket for England as well. He’s such a talent that I’m sure he will be able to adapt his game to the longer form.’