Jos taking to the slow lane
JOS Buttler completed his transformation from luxury to pillar to put England on the verge of a rare whitewash away from home.
The Lamborghini batsman, who can go from 0-60 in the blink of an eye and can destroy a bowling attack in the space of a few short overs, has become England’s latest estate car, taking the strain and carrying plenty of passengers when required.
Only twice in English cricket history have they completed a whitewash in a series of three Tests or more abroad – in 1895-96 in South Africa and 1962-63 in New Zealand.
Sri Lanka ended the third day on 53-4 in their second innings, needing 274 to win
Buttler said: “To win 3-0 would be a fantastic achievement. We spoke a lot in the build-up that it was the focus of the side and that it’s not done very often, and we’ve stuck to our task.
“It would be a great step forward if we manage it. I’m sure Sri Lanka were favourites pre-series so it is a great accolade for us to win here.
“Everyone is pulling in the same direction, and winning matches helps so we’ve come here with confidence and tried to replicate that feeling from the one-day group, but that takes time.”
Only Joe Root, in three more matches, has scored more than Buttler’s 760 runs in 2018 to make his red-ball promotion in May arguably the decision of the year.
Picked as a specialist No7 to add some stroke-making brilliance to the line-up, a move made possible by England’s enviable number of all-rounders, Buttler has become something far more valuable and reliable.
It was no surprise after he walked to the crease, with England 39-4 in their second innings and scrambling around for a defendable target, to see him make his seventh 50-plus score of the year to put his team on course for 230 all out and an imposing lead of 326.
“It has been a good year considering I didn’t have Test cricket on my radar at the start of it,” said Buttler, 28.
“I’ve enjoyed playing Test cricket again and I’ve been pleased with the way I’ve adapted. A lot of people in my career have said, ‘Why don’t you bat like you do in one-day cricket?’ But I’ve never seen it like that.
“If it was possible then more would have done it, but there is a lot of hard work that goes into it. I look at the scoreboard and try to play accordingly, and I trust my defence more.”
With Ben Stokes he added 89 and pulled the game steadily away from the Sri Lankans, with Stokes (42) given two extra lives.
Lakshan Sandakan, the diminutive left-arm spinner, was the bowler on both occasions as Stokes drove to cover and was caught at slip only to be called back due to a no-ball each time.
According to TV replays they were two of 13 no-balls he bowled in a five-over spell with umpire Sundaram Ravi failing to call any of them on a day he and fellow-umpire Chris Gaffaney will want to forget.
“That’s the game,” said Buttler. “A no-ball’s a no-ball. There’s an element of disbelief but it’s great you can carry on batting. On a pitch like this the umpires have a tough job and a lot going on.”
Wicketkeeper Ben Foakes finished 36 not out.