How did Jos Buttler become England's most dependable Batsman?
In the past two decades, almost every Test playing nation has had brilliant wicket-keepers who can bat really well. MS Dhoni, Adam Gilchrist, AB de Villiers, Brendon McCullum, Mark Boucher and many other big names come straight into mind.
These are some of the legends of the game. But one surprising thing about the list is the absence of any English name.
Actually, there have been no English keepers who have been able to produce both with the bat and the gloves. Matt Prior was decent in the Test format but wasn't much successful in ODI cricket. Alec Stewart, probably England's best keeper yet, was an accumulator rather than a swashbuckling player.
These are some of the reasons why England never got that much success in the limited overs cricket. But the tables have turned, the English are the best ODI team in the world currently, with 127 points in the ODI rankings.
How did this happen?
Despite the lack of batting wicket-keepers for England, their persistence finally paid off. At the start of this decade, England had found two really exceptional options in Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler.
Jonny Bairstow took some time to permanently seal his spot in the team. He had some ups and downs, but due to his hard work and determination, he is one of the most important assets of the English side across all formats.
The right-hander is also one of the highest run scorers across all formats in international cricket this year. At the start of the year, Bairstow was England's first-choice wicket-keeper in Test cricket.
But now that mantle belongs to Jos Buttler. In fact, Buttler was nowhere near the Test scene before 2018. He was a regular in the ODI side and had made a few Test appearances but all in all, the selectors were unimpressed.
Jos Buttler made his debut for England at a young age of 20 in a T20 game against India in 2011. Then he played for England 'A' and after his ceaseless fascinating performances, he got an opportunity in ODI side in 2012.
In 2013, he replaced Craig Kieswetter. People started noticing this cricketing prodigy. His consistency and power hitting abilities was grabbing immense attention during that season.
As cricket lovers usually love batsmen like David Warner, Chris Gayle and de Villiers, he was fast becoming the fans players. This resulted in his maiden Test call-up against India in 2014.
After an unsuccessful Test debut, he lost momentum and faced a lean run during 2015 ashes & UAE tour against Australia and Pakistan respectively. He was brutally criticized by Geoffrey Boycott, who said:
"Jos Buttler is like a rabbit caught in headlights of Ashes Cricket. A seven-year-old school boy would have played better. It looks to me like his mind and confidence in a shot for test cricket - it's Pathetic."
These words by former English great completely defines Buttler’s flop show during the 2015-16 season.
But always relaxed and calm, Jos Buttler continued his good performances in limited overs cricket and also captained England side in the absence of Eoin Morgan against Bangladesh. He became one of the most consistent faces of England's starting XI in the shorter format. He was doing well in the shorter format but not considered good enough for the longer format.
IPL 2018 and his comeback trail
IPL 2018 totally changed the fortunes of Jos Buttler. He started the season with very average performances. But once he got a chance of opening the innings, things changed dramatically for both player and team.
He smashed 5 half-centuries in a row and took his team to the playoff spots. He became only the second batsman in IPL history to achieve this unique record.
As a result of these stellar performances, he was recalled for England's Test squad, to play against Pakistan in May 2018. He made most out of that opportunity and become the leading run-scorer in that series.
Buttler played a magnificent knock of 110* against Australia in the 5th ODI in June 2018 to guide his team to an amazing victory. He also scored an under pressure hundred against India in the 3rd Test after failing in the first two matches. It was also his maiden Test hundred for which he had to wait 4 agonizing years.
"I was never sure if I'd ever play test cricket again, all those thoughts go through your mind while you're out there and start to get close. I never thought this would happen or try to make sure it does. There were definitely times I thought that race was run",
Buttler said after his maiden test hundred.
“Innovation” is the quality of Jos Buttler. He plays the balls over the keeper's head as beautifully as his trademark cover drive. He is a total package when it comes to batting.
His calmness and gentle behaviour helped him a lot when the time was tough for him. The swashbuckling talent is a really special player and also the star of English Cricket in the years to come. His current form and confidence say it all!