Jos Buttler reflects on the challenges of being an all-format player for England
Dynamic England keeper-batsman Jos Buttler has shared his thoughts on the difficulties involved in playing all three formats. Jos Buttler is a vital cog for England in Tests, ODIs and T20s and is also one of the most versatile cricketers today.
However, since the pandemic's peak, England has been the most active team in international cricket, spending 69 days. No other player has played international cricket more frequently than Buttler since then. He has featured for 53 days, which is unaccounted for by the quarantine days and the time spent in training.
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Jos Buttler, who also plays franchise cricket, feels it has only increased the demand from the game's best players. He highlighted that such demands have created unprecedented challenges. According to Buttler, it has even made the top-quality players struggle for consistency. Buttler said, as quoted by the Daily Mirror:
"There’s so much cricket and you put in an IPL tournament which you want to be in and other franchise tournaments, it’s always going to be a challenge. The challenge as an individual is can you be at the right level all the time with what that demands of you, physically, mentally and performance-wise. It’s a great challenge and there’s not many people around the world who really do it to a great level and that shows why it’s tough."
It's also worth noting that between March 2020 and March 2021, Buttler played 66 days of competitive cricket and 32 matches. He has skipped the second leg of the IPL 2021 and is preparing for the T20 World Cup in the UAE.
Jos Buttler laments the pandemic, making tours longer:
Buttler further claimed that the schedules and quarantine periods have made things complicated and frustrating. The Lancashire cricketer admits that it restricts the player's availability for every format and game.
"I think the schedule makes it a bit tougher and Covid has clouded that even more with quarantine periods making a tour longer. The circumstances with which you’re involved in those tournaments and tours are different, so it’s certainly made it harder. I think everyone’s dream is always to play all the formats and be in every team you can be in."
With a rigorous Ashes campaign in Australia looming, Buttler has declared he wouldn't consider touring without family. Other key English players could join him due to the Australian government's strict quarantine measures.