CT25 – Jos Buttler – Should England promote captain up batting order?
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But Knight, who played exactly 100 ODIs between 1996 and 2003, believes that England are not getting the best out of him in his current role and must give him the chance to have a bigger impact of games. “I have really strong feelings about this,” Knight said on ESPNcricinfo’s Matchday show.
“Jos Buttler, for me, is not taking enough part in the construction of an innings. He’s one of the best in the world, simple as that, let alone one of the best in the team. He’s the best player. With your best player, you want them to play as much of a role within the outcome of the innings as possible.
“I thought England made an error in the last game when they had that partnership broken between (Joe) Root and (Ben) Duckett and they brought in Harry Brook. Harry Brook is a very fine player but is a little bit out of touch at the moment. I personally would have just sent Buttler in. As soon as it ticks over to 20-25 overs, Buttler’s in next… Be flexible with your batting line-up, get your best player in.”
Buttler struggled in the 2023 50-over World Cup and averages 26.16 in ODIs in Asia, but Knight played down the relevance of those stats. “I’ve seen him destroy attacks in the IPL – very good, high-quality attacks,” he said. “He can play in Asia, don’t worry about that. He’s scored hundreds galore in one-day cricket in those conditions. Really, it’s just about finding the best balance for him.
“When you look at the best of Jos Buttler, he gives himself five, 10, 15 balls to get in… He’s one of England’s finest players of all time. He’s one of the world’s greatest in this format. Of course, he will have areas where he might get a little exposed from time to time but get him out there… Let’s give him that chance to really shine.”
“If he bats at No. 3 or 4… he could get out for 10 or 20. But if he gets in, Jos Buttler at his best – one of England’s, if not England’s greatest batter – on that surface, could go on and get 150 because he’s so talented. If, on a pitch like that, England’s best white-ball player of all time is sitting and watching 40 overs of cricket from the pavilion, as an opposition captain, I’m thinking, ‘That’s good. I’m enjoying that.’
“And also for Jos: this is a defining tournament now for Buttler. If they don’t get through the qualification here, the group stages, he could well lose his job. For that reason, if I’m Jos Buttler, I’m thinking, ‘My job is hanging on the line here, I have to have a massive impact on this game and on this tournament right now.’ As opposed to, at the end of the tournament, wishing, ‘Why didn’t I promote myself and give it a go?’ They see it differently. They see him as the finisher.”
Buttler is expected to continue batting at No. 6 when England face Afghanistan in Lahore on Wednesday. He conceded on Tuesday that he is “absolutely” under pressure. “Any time as an England captain you want to perform, you want to perform well, and you want to lead your team to winning games of cricket. We haven’t been doing that enough in the recent past,” he said.
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