Jos Buttler faces the axe from England team for 3rd Test
England’s wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler risks being dropped from the side for third and final Test starting at Sharjah, with the Poms’ coach Trevor Bayliss pronouncing some players better be kept out of ‘the firing line’, reports ESPNcricinfo.
The move could see Jonny Bairstow shoulder the responsibility of keeping wickets in a contest viewed as ‘must win’ for Alastair Cook’s charges.
Since the season started off in the summer with the Ashes, Buttler is averaging 13.00 – and his poor run was compounded by scores of 0 and 7 in the second Test in Dubai. Buttler’s lack of form has affected his glove-work as well, a case proven by his slack work behind the stumps during the first two Test matches.
"It's no secret that he (Buttler) has obviously been struggling a little bit," Bayliss said. "It doesn't mean that he's not trying his guts out. And I'm convinced he will do well over a number of years. But as we all know there aren't too many cricketers who have ever played the game who haven't had a bit of time out of the team. But we haven't made the decision yet, we will sit down in the next couple of days and discuss all of those points,” the Australian trainer exclaimed.
Bayliss proud of display
The former Kolkata Knight Riders coach had few words of wisdom for Buttler, who has 15 caps to his name so far.
"My experience with players in the past is that sometimes it does become a bit of a relief, that they are able to go about their business without the pressure of having to perform in the next match or to worry about whether they're in or whether they're out," he added.
"Sometimes it can be that relief that allows them to put everything else out of their mind and just concentrate on getting back in the team," the 52-year old coach said.
Despite being on the losing side in the recently concluded second Test of the series, England head coach Trevor Bayliss is proud of his charges, saying there was little separating the two sides. The Australian feels that the team is confident of leveling the series in the third and final Test which is starting from Saturday at Sharjah.
“I think we’ve competed on equal terms with them. We need to do the same and we need to make some improvements as well. It’s been a very even nine days of Test cricket over here (in Abu Dhabi and Dubai) and, unfortunately, we played very poorly on day three of this last Test,” Bayliss concluded.