In his first press conference since being handed the keys to England’s white-ball team, manager Brendan McCollum revealed one of his main objectives was to encourage captain Jos Buttler.
“He was a bit miserable at times,” McCullum said of Buttler, noting how forlorn the skipper looked when England lost both World Cup titles in nine months.
The 50-over trophy was capitulated in dismal fashion by India’s group stage exit in late 2023, before losing in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean in June this year.
“All I want for Jos is for him to play with a smile on his face for the next few years,” McCullum added in September. “My job is to push him towards that and get the best out of him.”
Buttler did not keep a wicket for England in the West Indies T20 series.
McCullum, who doesn’t officially begin his role as a limited-time top official until January, appears to have gotten his wish.
Buttler has become a symbol of happiness in the Caribbean after finally shaking off the calf injury that had plagued him since England were knocked out of the T20 World Cup.
Buttler played a blistering innings in Barbados.
Of course, if you win, that will happen. England have two balls in as many matches against the West Indies in the T20 series and the skipper hit a mammoth 83 off 45 balls in the second match in Barbados on Sunday.
But there seems to be a difference with Butler.
Not only did he drop to batting and fielding positions to give Will Jacks an open chance and hand the wicket-keeping gloves to Phil Salt, but so did his attitude.
He actually seems to be having a good time.
Before the series began, Butler said: “For however long I play, and hopefully for a long time, I just want to be there and really, really enjoy this part of my cricket.
“I don’t have to protect or hold on to anything. I want this to be an incredibly fulfilling time in my life. When you get injured, you realize how badly you want to recover.”
Buttler smacked eight fours and six sixes in his innings of 83 off 45 balls against West Indies.
West Indies’ bowlers were probably hoping Buttler would not come back to them as he smoked eight fours and six sixes at Kensington Oval on Sunday night.
This article certainly would not have been written if Buttler had put Akeal Hosein on his stumps on the inside edge and been dismissed for back-to-back ducks. That’s because Gudakesh Motie left the first ball in Saturday’s series opener as he came screaming from deep third over. Butler certainly wouldn’t have laughed then.
But the England captain’s full repertoire was on display after Hossain’s delivery inadvertently missed his leg stump and the England captain got off to a slightly shaky start.
Scoop, sweet hitting 6, captivating technique. It made him the best white-ball batsman in his country, and it made him the best batsman anywhere.
If Buttler can bat with much more freedom in this “fulfillment” part of his career, England should reap the rewards and the opposition bowling attack will suffer.
The only time Buttler’s smile disappeared was when he was 17 runs short of his second T20 international century.
Should Buttler bat at No. 3 to keep it or not?
Buttler certainly enjoyed greater freedom in the match against West Indies.
He took a superb slip and cover catch in the first T20, but the copybook was erased 24 hours later when the ball passed him for four. Bowler Jofra Archer was not amused at all.
While Buttler may lose by not maintaining a vantage point against lbw and behind reviews, he benefits from the outfield in chatting with the bowlers and “making last minute calls”.
It was a move influenced by McCullum, who did not use a wicket-taking glove later in his career due to an evasive back.
Phil Salt wears the wicket-keeping gloves for England.
We don’t yet know whether this switch for Butler will be permanent, nor will his drop to third in the batting order, and both experiments will be reviewed at the end of the series.
Buttler’s tough innings in Barbados at the weekend somehow made up the de facto opener. He came in in the second ball after Salt, who had hit 100 in the first T20, caught a golden duck.
Additionally, the Jacks are yet to put themselves in a firm position to retain top spot, falling after starting both games with 17 and 38 points. It’s a microcosm of his England career to date.
In a format as short as T20, you want your best player to face as many balls as possible, and England’s best player is Buttler.
The need for retention and batting positions will be in the future, and also on the agenda is how the 50-over group will solve England’s ODI problems, where they have lost 13 of their last 20 matches.
Even with the return of some wise old heads (Ben Stokes, Joe Root, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes and even Jonny Bairstow) for the ICC Champions Trophy early next year, there is no guarantee that the problems will be resolved. Take a look at how the 2023 World Cup turned out.
But England’s focus now is on securing a T20I series win on the road for the first time in two years, and they will do so if they win any of the last three matches against the West Indies in St Lucia this week.
You feel they have a very good chance with Butler’s fit, fire and smile.
