Jos Buttler open to give up wicket-keeping to improve captaincy
Jos Buttler, England's white-ball captain, has expressed his readiness to relinquish his wicket-keeping duties if it enhances his leadership skills. He shared these sentiments during a conversation on Sky Sports, amidst England's final T20I against Australia. Buttler revealed that had he been fit for the ongoing T20I series against Australia, he would have chosen not to keep wickets. Here are further details.
Buttler's injury and potential role change
Buttler was sidelined from both the T20I and ODI series against Australia due to a calf injury. In his absence, young batter Harry Brook has taken over as captain, with Liam Livingstone stepping in as Buttler's replacement for the series. Despite these changes, Buttler remains open to giving up his wicket-keeping responsibilities if it benefits his leadership role. "If I was playing in this T20 series, I was going to give up the gloves," he stated.
Buttler's commitment to team and captaincy
Buttler last participated in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 semi-final in June. He had planned to return for the knockout stages of the T20 Blast, but his rehabilitation did not go as planned. Despite this setback, he remains committed to doing what's best for his team. "Baz (Brendon McCullum) stumbled across it with injury preventing him from keeping wicket but then he really enjoyed being at mid-off so that's something we can talk about."
T20I series between England and Australia ends in a draw
The T20I series between England and Australia concluded with a 1-1 draw, as persistent rain in Manchester caused the final match to be abandoned without a single ball being bowled. The toss was initially delayed due to gloomy conditions that hampered groundsmen's efforts to manage wet patches on the outfield. This unfortunate turn of events marked an anticlimactic end to the series.
