ONE SIZE FITS ALL

Buttler to be his own kind of beautiful, this time in Test cricket

by Cricbuzz Staff • Published on

If you are going to fail, fail in a genuine way and not someone else's way: Buttler © Getty

Jos Buttler's Test recall is a chance mutation English cricket can do with. The move is staggering, even outrageous, for a player so visibly infatuated by successes in the shortest format. But Ed Smith and Co. have taken a call that's symptomatic of a new selection committee which is not shy of addressing England's horror run of form overseas. And like is the case so often, the remedy starts at home, against Pakistan at Lord's, where Buttler is set to be the new face of England's Gen X batting at the number seven spot.

You can see why England are willing to invest further in Buttler. A successful counterattack overwhelms the opposition like nothing else, and in Buttler, England have at their disposal an outrageously talented batsman -- "outstanding talent" in Ed Smith's words -- who's been in rich vein of form, albeit in a different format.

"For me, it is about trusting instincts and not fighting them," Buttler reveals. "In the past I have potentially felt as if I had to play in a certain way or be something I am not. So, as much as I can, I will be trusting my instincts. That is going to be the best way towards helping me be successful."

It's been a while since Buttler took to whites. His last Test assignment was in India, where he played three Tests in the five-match series.

"For the first half of my Test career, and in India, I trusted myself better than I did in the Ashes series here when I went away from what was working. It is (an) incredible opportunity I have been handed to come back in.

"The guys who have selected me have asked me to play in that fashion, so that is how I have got to do it."

Since the India series, where he notched up scores of 76 and 43 in Mumbai and Mohali respectively, it's been all white-ball cricket for Buttler.

"It is a luxury role for a side to have. Having someone like Ben Stokes in the top six, who bats and bowls, allows you the flexibility to choose what sort of role and use the spare position in the side. I did not expect to be involved after the India series," Buttler says when asked if he was disappointed to be dropped after the 4-0 loss.

"I knew things were changing with the captain changing. I love Test cricket and have always wanted to play it but I have just been enjoying whatever has been in front of me and trying to put in good performances that hopefully down the line will take me to places I want to be."

Buttler, now, quite perceptibly, has been thrusted into a role admirably made famous by Adam Gilchrist. He won't be donning the wicket-keeping gloves though, and for now is not giving it a thought either.

"Just to be in the team is unbelievable. It does not bother me at all," Buttler remarks. "I have never understood why people have said Jonny (Bairstow) can't bat higher and keep wicket as well. He has been doing fantastically well with bat and gloves in recent years, and knowing him, there is no reason why he can't keep doing it."

Buttler has just returned from the Indian Premier League, where he played for Rajasthan Royals under the mentorship of Shane Warne, who advised him to "make good decisions and be genuine" and "play the way you can play in other forms of the game."

With 548 runs at an average of 54.80 and a strike-rate of 155.24 in a one-man showmanship for the franchise, Buttler reckons that he's back in the Test fold at the right time, given the brand of cricket he promises to bring to an already exhilarating middle-order.

"In the IPL, that I played high pressure situations against some of the best in the world is really pleasing for me. It is a brilliant state of mind. Going to the top of the order was a little spark from being in the middle and not playing as well I should have. That form gives you a hell of a lot of confidence.

"I have had some great experiences playing in different parts of the world in different teams. You learn a lot about yourself going into these franchise tournaments because you are joining up with guys you may have played against or new coaches, and you need to manage yourself and what you require, how to get the best out of yourself. That might not be the case with England, as you may have a coach who has been with you for two years who can pick up on those tings. I have learned a lot about myself over the past two years."

With a home World Cup round the corner, there have been whispers about Buttler's Test engagement adulterating his limited-overs psyche, but Buttler, much aware of the possible trade-offs, is resolute.

"It is something I am determined not to [let] happen," he says. "In the past I have tried to differentiate the games too much. Talked to Joe Root; he has a similar method and mindset across all formats. That mindset is what is making him successful. For me it is about playing the game of cricket: red ball, white ball, Test match, the Hundred. It is just the same mindset of enjoyment and make good decisions."

Whether Ed Smith's anomalous embrace of intuition on debut flourishes is a debate for sometime later, but Buttler sounds ready, and is self-admittedly more matured this time to take on multiplicity of cricket head-on.

"If you are going to fail, fail in a genuine way and not someone else's way," he philosophises, in a stunning preview of what awaits us this summer.

© Cricbuzz

TAGS

RELATED STORIES