Jos Buttler to replace Matt Prior; Alastair Cook retained as England captain for third Test against India

Joss Buttler

The England and Wales cricket board (ECB) have decided to retain Alastair Cook as the captain for the third Test against India, at Southampton, despite the disappointing shows of the team of late: under Cook, England have lost the previous 2 Test series, against Australia and Sri Lanka, and haven’t got any better in the ongoing 5-match Test series against India, trailing 0-1.

Jos Butler, who was called up as the cover for Matt Prior in the first Test, has been included in the squad and is all set to make his Test debut following Prior’s decision to take a break and work on returning to fitness. 

While former English captains like Ian Botham, Michael Vaughan and Bob Willis have called for Cook’s sacking for his uninspiring style of captaincy, the ECB has cited lack of options in the present team as one of the reasons for the retention of the 29-year-old. 

Following the abject surrender in the fourth innings to India at Lord’s, Cook made it clear that he won’t quit, unless he is forced to, when the team is going through a bad patch. England have lost seven out of their last nine Test Matches: a 5-0 whitewash in Australia, 1 each against Sri Lanka and India.

The 23-year-old Buttler is known for his attacking and innovative gameplay and has already made his mark in the limited overs arena. The Somerset wicket-keeper batsman has played 33 ODIs and 36 T20Is for England, with 1 century and 6 half-centuries to his name, so far. His strike rates of 128.27 and 134.57 in ODIs and T20s showcase his abilities. 

Squad for 3 rd Test at Southampton against India: Alastair Cook (captain), Sam Robson, Gary Ballance, Ian Bell, Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Joe Root, Chris Jordan, Liam Plunkett, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes