Jos Buttler has linked up with England in Barbados ahead of his mooted return this week but he is not going to take the wicketkeeping gloves within the T20 series against the West Indies.
Several comeback attempts from a nagging calf injury have needed to be aborted, meaning England’s white-ball captain has not played professionally for the reason that end of June on the T20 World Cup within the Caribbean.
Having missed The Hundred in the summertime, Australia’s limited-overs visit in September and the continued ODI series against the Windies, Buttler intends to ease his way back in as a specialist opening batter.
Phil Salt will as a substitute be behind the stumps when the T20s start with a double-header in Bridgetown this weekend, freeing Buttler as much as field closer to his bowlers and communicate with them more clearly.
Moeen Ali and Chris Jordan have previously been relied upon to perform this role however the pair are not any longer a part of the set-up, with Buttler one in every of the few experienced heads now within the dressing room.
Bowler Communication
“Perhaps it’ll get slightly bit more out of him at mid-off having a chance to speak to the bowlers,” Salt said.
“The one thing that keeping takes away from you is the advantage of being there with the bowlers at the highest of their marks on a regular basis.
“Sometimes you’ll be able to can get stuck in a little bit of a position where the one times you’re running as much as a bowler is when things aren’t going to plan and also you’re running as much as reaffirm positive things.”
Buttler has kept in 106 of his previous 108 T20s but he was preparing handy over the responsibility had he been fit against Australia, with Salt taking up in T20s and Jamie Smith doing so within the ODIs.
After arriving into Barbados on Sunday evening, Buttler was one in every of a handful of players at optional training on the Kensington Oval, where he accomplished some close-in fielding drills and had five minutes of throw downs within the nets before a shower brought the session to a premature conclusion.
While Buttler focuses on reinforcing his captaincy after a difficult 12 months that has seen England sacrifice each limited-overs World Cups, Salt is all too desirous to be given more influence on a match.
Salt with the gloves
“It’s not something I’ve done quite a bit for England recently, but I enjoy keeping,” Salt said. “I feel like that’s where I offer most to the side. I believe it’s the very best place to see the sport from in any respect times.
“I’ll do regardless of the team requires of me, it’s all the time been my mentality. I need to be involved in every thing. Even after I’m in the sphere, I need the ball to return to me every ball.”
Salt and England’s immediate priority is on Wednesday’s ODI decider after levelling the series at 1-1 last weekend, with Liam Livingstone’s buccaneering unbeaten century seeing them overhaul a 329 goal.
Having spent a lot of his early life growing up in Barbados, Salt has added incentive to do well, while England could call upon one other couple of born-and-bred Bajans in Jofra Archer and Jacob Bethell.
“I’m eager to do well on this game for a variety of reasons,” Salt said. “That is the bottom I’ve watched probably the most cricket on by a distance. To do well here can be really special.”
ODI Development
Before Saturday’s win, England had lost 12 of their previous 18 ODIs and there may be constant speculation that The Hundred relegating the domestic 50-over competition to secondary status has had a negative impact on the event of some younger players.
“I don’t think there’s many players on this team that you possibly can undergo and go ‘oh they’re doing a fantastic job immediately’,” Salt added. “That’s the truth of it because we’ve not played a variety of 50-over cricket.
“I’d love something like a domestic 50-over competition. I’d love the chance to play in that so you’ll be able to get the rhythm and it’s not all the time stop-start. But that’s what we’ve got. As a player you’ve got to adapt.”
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