Trescothick backs Buttler's white-ball captaincy, eyes wicket-keeping options for England
Marcus Trescothick, the interim head coach of England's white-ball cricket team, has expressed his support for Jos Buttler as captain. He believes that Buttler possesses the necessary leadership skills to guide the team in limited-overs cricket. Notably, Ben Stokes leads the Three Lions in the longest format. Trescothick also revealed that the impending series Australia series could be an opportunity to explore other wicket-keeping options.
Faith in Buttler's leadership
Trescothick has taken over as England's interim head coach for upcoming the three T20Is and five ODIs against Australia in September, following Matthew Mott's departure. Despite England's early exit from the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup and their semi-final run the 2024 T20 World Cup, Trescothick remains confident in Buttler. He stated, "The attributes he shows behind the scenes are really important to lead this team."
Strategy to enhance Buttler's captaincy skills
Trescothick aims to further enhance Buttler's leadership skills. He said, "Me coming in is just to try to enhance that as much as possible, to make him feel like this is the way the group is going to go." He also suggested that despite recent World Cup disappointments, England's one-day cricket remains strong under Buttler's guidance.
Buttler's white-ball record as captain
Buttler has lead England to 18 wins in 39 ODIs since 2016. The Three Lions have lost 20 ODIs under his leadership (NR: 1). Meanwhile, England have won 22 of 41 T20Is with Buttler at the helm.
Trescothick open to experimenting with wicket-keeping role
Trescothick confirmed that the team management is considering allowing Buttler to focus solely on his captaincy by relieving him of his wicket-keeping duties during the matches against Australia. Phil Salt and Jamie Smith are potential replacements for this role in the T20Is and ODIs respectively. "It's something we discussed and we're open to the idea of," Trescothick said, indicating a willingness to experiment with team dynamics.
