Pilates in pads... what the Buttlers did in isolation
No cricket in sight, so Jos stays in shape with daily exercise classes from his wife
JOS BUTTLER, reaching out, almost at full stretch. Where have we seen that before? It is an image carved into the memory of every sports fan in the country. England’s wicket- keeper breaking the stumps to clinch the World Cup, as the iconic commentary line goes, by the barest of margins.
Eight months later and it is the entire cricket and sporting landscape that is bare. The coronavirus has turned it all into a wasteland. Buttler is back home after England’s tour of Sri Lanka was cut short and any form of cricket is postponed until the end of May at least.
‘It certainly feels indefinite at the minute,’ says Buttler. ‘I don’t see it changing quickly any time soon. But then it might do. Everyone is just trying to stay fit and stay ready for whenever anyone can get back to playing cricket.’
So, like many, Buttler is now having to find new ways to keep a routine, keep fit and keep sane. The ECB have sent out fitness equipment and schedules for the players to keep themselves in shape. To help do that even more, Buttler is stretching again.
Buttler’s wife, Louise, runs the LB Pilates studio in Clapham, south-west London. The coronavirus pandemic means she cannot run classes as usual. So every day at 12.30pm, the two of them are doing pilates together. A 25-minute session broadcast live on Louise’s Instagram page.
The first time, Buttler got dressed up in full England whites and batting pads, gloves and helmet. On Friday — Fancy Dress Fridays as the Buttlers now call it — he was in his wicket-keeping attire, as those who tune in are encouraged to take part in costume.
Former England all-rounder Paul Collingwood has been getting involved, transforming into Chuck Norris for Friday’s session with his family. Chris Robshaw, the former England rugby captain, has tuned in and sent them a message saying how he had enjoyed it. ‘That was cool’, adds Buttler.
He is finding it all helps, too. ‘One of the big reasons it is really good for me is my posture,’ he says. ‘Being a wicket-keeper, I get really rounded shoulders because my hands are always forward. It is the same with a lot of people sitting at desks. Pilates is really good at focusing on getting the right posture.’
Not that it all comes easy to a World Cup-winning professional sportsman. ‘I think people have enjoyed watching how I struggle through it as well,’ he says.
Louise, who has been teaching pilates for the past three years, adds: ‘ That is why they say it’s for any ability or age. My youngest client is 20, my oldest is 68. It’s a workout for the body and the mind. Jos is really good at doing pull-ups, for example. I get him into the studio and we do more controlled exercises and…’
‘I’ m useless !’ says Butt l er, finishing her sentence.
‘He just finds flexibility elements harder,’ says Louise. ‘Because he’s always crouched and doing squats, he finds it hard to open up his chest. So there are moves that he finds difficult. When we do it, everyone can see we are enjoying it. And it’s good for people to see that a pro sportsman finds it challenging.’
Buttler was out in the field in Colombo when the decision was made this month to cancel England’s tour of Sri Lanka. About 10 minutes before drinks, Joe Root went off the field. Everyone knew.
‘It was quite strange, actually,’ says Buttler. ‘When we left for the tour it wasn’t really that big a thing. No one really understood quite how serious it could be. Once football got shut down and sport worldwide was closing, I just couldn’t see how the tour would go ahead.
‘It really dominated conversation. People were worried about people at home. In this day and age, you never feel that far from home but, when something like this happens, you suddenly feel a long way away. You just wanted to get home and be closer to people.
‘The ECB and our doctor Gurjit [Bhogal] did really well. As things have escalated you can see it was the right decision. It was difficult to focus on any cricket. The level of intensity had dropped, the skill level had gone and all the boys were glad to get off the field.’
Since being home, Buttler is taking the positives. The cricket schedule is ‘insanely busy at times’, so he is making the most of some rare time with Louise and their 11-month-old daughter, Georgia. Louise says he came up trumps on Mother’s Day, cooking eggs and bacon for breakfast and ham with cheesy leeks for lunch.
‘We feel quite lucky,’ says Buttler. ‘Spending lots of time away from home over the last 18 months, it has been enjoyable to spend some time at home just with the family. And making the most of being away from cricket and really refreshing the body and mind. I have certainly been at that stage when I could do with a breather.’
He struggled for runs over the winter, averaging 17.55 in five Tests in South Africa and New Zealand, with questions asked about his place in the Test side. But he is taking solace in the fact that, when Sky Sports simulated the first Test last week, he made an unbeaten 87, saying ‘Now I’m back in form!’
Buttler believes the England Test side are in a ‘very good place’ after their 3-1 series win in South Africa. ‘There were fantastic contributions from the younger guys such as Ollie Pope, Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley,’ he says.
‘Rory Burns was playing so well before his injury. The signs are good for the future.’
For the present, though, Buttler is going to enjoy the break. ‘Just for a while I’m going to leave the kit downstairs and have a real break from the game,’ he says. ‘What is exciting is we will all have such a hunger t o play again and an appreciation of sport.
‘We all take it a bit too seriously at times but, when everyone can start playing and watching again, we will realise just how much we all love it, cherish it and enjoy it.’