'I know I was not good enough': Jos Buttler accepts that he should work on his wicket-keeping skills
England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler understands that he had a below-par performance with the gloves against Pakistan in the first Test at Old Trafford. Jos Buttler missed a stumping and a catch of Pakistan opener Shan Masood which cost his team 84 runs as Masood went on to score a fantastic 156 in the first innings.
Due to Pakistan's brilliant bowling performance, the visitors got a sizeable lead of 109 runs and set England a target of 277 runs which was a tough target to chase in the fourth innings in difficult conditions.
Jos Buttler believes that he will need to become better at wicket-keeping if he wants to save his place in the playing eleven, especially with Ben Foakes and the experienced Jonny Bairstow waiting in the wings.
“If I had taken those chances, we would not have been chasing 277. I know I was not good enough. I know if I’m going to continue to be a wicketkeeper in this team I have to be better,” Jos Buttler told BBC after the 1st Test.
I thought maybe I have played my last Test: Jos Buttler
Jos Buttler was under immense pressure as he wasn't scoring enough runs with the bat and was making wicket-keeping errors. Jos Buttler revealed that he thought it would have been his last Test had he not scored crucial runs for England.
But under pressure with England struggling at 117/5, Jos Buttler came out with a positive mindset and backed his natural game. With Chris Woakes who remained unbeaten on 84 in the end, Jos Buttler scored 75 crucial runs and added 139 runs with Woakes for the sixth wicket.
England ended up winning the game by three wickets and Jos Buttler proved why he was such an asset to the England team.
"Thoughts go through your head that if I don't score any runs, I've maybe played my last game. But you have to shut those out and go and play your game. We tried to break it down into a bit of a one-day chase, and scored at four an over, to take the second new ball out of the equation. We got some nice momentum going and had a good partnership," Jos Buttler said.
The second Test between England and Pakistan will be played from August 17 at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton. While England will look to capitalize on the 1-0 lead, Pakistan will be hoping to learn from their mistakes and bounce back in the series.