Buttler out to settle T20 side in South Africa

ENGLAND left for South Africa last night hoping to use their first winter assignment to step up their World Cup double tilt. The white-ball trip will place emphasis on the three T20 matches that precede the one-day internationals as England prepare for next October’s T20 World Cup. And Jos Buttler hopes they remember lessons from their ODI World Cup triumph last year. ‘One thing we had in 50-over cricket was that the team picked itself towards the end of the cycle and that’s a great place to be,’ said Buttler (below), before England’s £360,000 charter flight. ‘You get a lot of confidence from guys playing with each other and you become familiar with your own role when you go into those high-pressure situations. ‘Building for the Twenty20 World Cup, we want to nail down our squad of 15 and starting 11. Winning this series would be a good start.’ England will be at full strength for the T20 matches, with Ben Stokes returning after taking time off to be with his ill father. But Stokes, Jofra Archer and Sam Curran, who spent significant time in bio-secure bubbles last summer, will be rested for the 50-over series. Buttler was given the chance to be among them but opted to play in both series. ‘I was very keen to play because I’ve really missed one-day cricket, having only played three games since the World Cup,’ said Buttler. ‘The ECB are excellent at player well-being and having my family with me at the IPL was a huge plus for me and my mental health. I’m ready to go again.’ Meanwhile, England’s historic tour of Pakistan will be delayed until late 2021. A probable clash with the first Test in Sri Lanka means the trip will be delayed until October next year.

SOUTH AFRICA v ENGLAND

1st T20: Fri Nov 27, 4pm, Cape Town 2nd T20: Sun Nov 29, 12.30pm, Paarl 3rd T20: Tues Dec 1, 4pm, Cape Town 1st ODI: Fri Dec 4, 11am, Cape Town 2nd ODI: Sun Dec 6, 8am, Paarl 3rd ODI: Wed Dec 9, 11am, Cape Town