I Jos can’t wait for Test return BUTTLER MAKES ASHES PLEDGE
JOS BUTTLER has committed to being available for every England assignment until the end of the Ashes.
His workload in an England shirt in 2021 has been light so far.
But after missing the last five Tests – with the team losing four and drawing one – Buttler, 30, cannot keep putting his feet up and the wicketkeeperbatsman is now in it for the long haul.
“That’s the dream,” he said. “I want to play as much as I can.
“I know there’s been some criticism from outside but I’m glad to have had a bit of a break and to refresh.
“In England we’re playing a lot of cricket, more than most, and we have to look after our people.”
The dates for the rearranged Indian
Premier League are set to clash with England’s tour to Bangladesh and Pakistan but it looks like Buttler will focus on his country.
“I’ll be playing probably where Ashley Giles says,” he said of England’s managing director. There is little doubt Buttler will star in the white-ball format this summer, but it is against the red ball where his form remains most fragile. It is why he hopes the form he showed in nine games before his Test career was paused – when he averaged 50 – will continue until the Ashes. “I’m a better white-ball player,” Buttler added. “But I want to be the best cricketer I can be in all formats. “I think the side is going in the right direction. Any time you lose there are question marks, but I think some great things have been put in place. I’d back everyone to have a great summer in the Tests against India.”
❑ THE fourth day of the World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand in Southampton was washed out by rain.