BUTTLER VOWS TO KEEP THE TEST PARTY GOING IN T20s
JOS BUTTLER has promised to keep the party going now that his white-ball sides are taking over from where the Test team and their thrill-seeking have left off.
Buttler takes on India in three T20s, starting today at the Ageas Bowl in his first assignment since taking over the skipper’s job full-time from Eoin Morgan.
And, as much as he has enjoyed watching the red-ball spectacle, he is ready to produce more of the same on the field from the original entertainers.
Asked whether it might become a battle between the teams to keep the excitement levels up,
Buttler admitted: “Yeah, I guess so and that’s great.
“There’s a clear identity for that Test team now, which is the way they’re going to play and we’ve had that for a long time, we’re always trying to push the boundaries.
“Playing in that fashion suits us down to the ground, so it’s a great time for English cricket.
“For us, it will be much the same and, if anything, can we take that to new levels? That’s what we’ll always be challenging ourselves on.”
Unlike Ben Stokes, who has changed the way the Test side is now led compared to when Joe Root was in charge, Buttler is happy to continue the work Morgan had laid down before him. And he revealed he has been in touch with the former captain before beginning his own era.
“Eoin sent me a message to say good luck,” said Buttler. “I’ve had some good conversations with him. He is one of my closest mates, so I know anytime that I need I can lean on him to ask a few questions and it’s clear what a great captain he is.
“It would be naive of me to not try to lean on him at certain times – but I can’t be him. I’ve got to be myself and try to do the job how I do it.”
Buttler has 13 T20 matches to put his stamp on the side before the T20 World Cup in October, and he admitted that the race for places starts here.
With Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow and Adil Rashid not appearing against India, the chance for others to make their case is huge.
“Guys will have opportunities to really stake a claim to be in that World Cup squad,” added Buttler.
“We have an idea, but, of course, things can change quickly.
“It just shows how much strength in depth there is in white-ball cricket across the country. That’s been one of the things that’s driven standards higher.”