Jos Buttler Faces Key Decision on Wicketkeeping Role for England

Jos Buttler has represented England in white-ball cricket on over 300 occasions. As England embarks on its latest white-ball tour in Antigua this Thursday, the team will once again be without its captain. A persistent calf injury has sidelined Jos Buttler since June, compelling him to observe his team’s resurgence from afar. This recent injury has excluded Buttler from the three-match One Day International (ODI) series against West Indies, though there is optimism he will recover in time for the five Twenty20 Internationals (T20s) scheduled for next week. This situation is inconvenient for Buttler, as it prevents him from influencing the team’s direction before Brendon McCullum assumes the coaching role in the new year. It has also brought to the forefront a persistent question for England: should the 34-year-old continue to manage the responsibilities of captain, wicketkeeper, and primary batter, or is it time for Buttler to relinquish the wicketkeeping gloves? Buttler has performed wicketkeeping duties in all but two of his white-ball appearances for England over the past 12 years. However, following his retention and the dismissal of coach Matthew Mott after this year’s T20 World Cup exit, discussions within the England camp have hinted at a potential change. Even if Buttler had been fit to play against Australia last month, Phil Salt was designated to keep wicket in his stead for the T20s, with Jamie Smith also prepared to do so in the ODIs. “I was going to give up the gloves and commit to being at mid-off and see how that felt,” Buttler told Sky Sports. “If it will help me with my captaincy it is something I am open to.” While Buttler has received support to continue as captain, he acknowledges that his position is not entirely secure, having overseen two disappointing World Cup exits. Earlier in the summer, he maintained a firm stance. “I feel like I’ve got the best view. I can see exactly what’s happening and I can make calls,” he stated in May regarding his role as wicketkeeper. Now, with a focus on improvement, his perspective has shifted. The advantages of Buttler ceasing wicketkeeping are evident. With a younger, less experienced squad, he would find it simpler to guide his bowlers through challenging situations from the outfield compared to behind the stumps. In recent years, he has heavily relied on Moeen Ali and Chris Jordan to offer calm advice to bowlers, while Buttler himself was constrained by his wicketkeeping position due to increasingly strict regulations on the pace of play. Moeen has since retired, and 36-year-old Jordan has moved on, leaving Buttler as one of the few seasoned players. He has clear examples of others to follow. McCullum spent the majority of his white-ball career as a wicketkeeper-batter before giving up the gloves in 2013 at the age of 32. Subsequently, he played 41 ODIs over three and a half years, including leading the Black Caps to the 2015 World Cup final – a late career flourish that Buttler, who has not scored a century in 33 white-ball internationals since September 2023, would likely desire. Moreover, England’s captain’s childhood hero, the South African legend AB de Villiers, also served as a wicketkeeper for much of his career but kept in only three of his final 78 matches, achieving an average of 65. When Buttler has not kept wicket in The Hundred, the Indian Premier League, and two T20 internationals since 2021, his batting average also shows an improvement, albeit slight, from 38.43 to 42.22. A change in role could potentially revitalise the career of an England stalwart. However, despite these seemingly persuasive arguments, the reality is more complex. While the sample size is too small for definitive conclusions, Buttler’s captaincy from the outfield has not resulted in a clear improvement in outcomes, with a record of three wins and four defeats from seven matches for England and Manchester Originals. “Being wicketkeeper is a massive benefit in terms of getting tactical information around decision-making,” states Sam Billings, a wicketkeeping captain who has led his teams to victory in the 2021 T20 Blast and the last two editions of The Hundred. “As a wicketkeeper you can read conditions, field positions, and the angles far better than any other place on the field.” Few white-ball captains have been more successful than India’s 2011 World Cup-winning skipper MS Dhoni, renowned for his strategic adjustments and tactical acumen from behind the stumps. “It is hard to go from captaining and keeping your whole career to change to a captain at extra cover the whole time,” Billings further comments. “[Former England skipper] Eoin Morgan was such a good captain because he had always captained from cover and worked on those conversations.” Furthermore, there is no guarantee that reduced responsibilities will automatically lead to improved results. While McCullum’s career may have been prolonged by relinquishing the gloves, his batting average was only 29.76 after doing so. If Buttler wishes to continue as wicketkeeper, he could easily reference another trusted figure, Kumar Sangakkara. The Sri Lankan great maintained his wicketkeeping role until the end of his career, concluding his distinguished ODI career with four centuries in his final five matches. Ultimately, statistics can be interpreted to support various viewpoints for Buttler. Nevertheless, if Buttler decides that the team would benefit from him giving up the gloves, it will present England with intriguing selection dilemmas and add significance to the upcoming two weeks in the Caribbean. For T20s, the solution appears straightforward. Salt, currently ranked third globally, is a regular wicketkeeper and could assume Buttler’s position. The situation in ODIs is less clear-cut. Salt struggled against Australia, scoring only 95 runs across five innings, raising questions about his suitability for the longer format. With Joe Root and potentially Ben Stokes expected to return in the new year, competition for spots in the top six will be intense. Smith, also unavailable for this tour due to his Test commitments, remains an unknown quantity. McCullum has expressed considerable praise for the 24-year-old from Surrey. In the initial squad after McCullum’s appointment was confirmed, Smith was immediately placed into the starting XI as wicketkeeper and number five – a role Buttler has made his own. How Smith would integrate into a team that includes Buttler, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, and Harry Brook is not immediately apparent. If he were to bat at six, England would lack a significant bowling option in their top order. England is scheduled to make its final decision in January, during their series against India, which forms part of their preparations for February’s Champions Trophy. At that point, the decision can no longer be postponed.