England one-day skipper Eoin Morgan tips lethal wicket-keeper batsman Jos Buttler to rediscover batting prowess in limited-overs series against Pakistan
England one-day skipper Eoin Morgan has backed wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler to rediscover his most destructive form during his side’s limited-overs tussles with Pakistan, which start today in Abu Dhabi.
Lancashire’s Buttler was dropped for England’s third Test against Pakistan in Sharjah earlier this month after a barren spell which saw him score just 156 runs in 12 innings at an average of 13.
But the 25-year-old, who has been passed fit for today’s clash having recovered from a finger injury, holds the record for England’s two quickest ODI centuries, and Morgan insists Buttler is too lethal a player not to locate his former dynamism.
“I am confident he can recapture his form,” said Morgan, whose side play four 50-over matches and then three Twenty20s against Pakistan. “In the last four years, he’s been outstanding and has shown glimpses of world-class ability.
“He plays a formidable role within our squad, he holds some fantastic records, and he’s keen to come out and express himself in the series.”
Morgan has also urged the likes of Reece Topley, David Willey, Liam Plunkett, Chris Jordan and Chris Woakes to plug the void which has been exposed by injuries to seam duo Mark Wood and Steven Finn.
“Not having the senior of our bowlers here presents opportunities for our younger guys,” he added.
“We have two left-armers in our squad and Liam Plunkett and Chris Jordan, who have different aspects to their game and might come into use out here, where the ball doesn’t move that much off the straight and you have to come up with different ideas.”
Today’s showdown represents Morgan’s first competitive fixture since retiring hurt in September’s decisive one-day clash against Australia at Old Trafford after being struck on the helmet by a Mitchell Starc bouncer.
Morgan said: “I’ve done a lot of short-ball practice since then and I’m quite confident going into the series that I’ve progressed.”