Jos Buttler has pointed the finger at Ben Stokes and Joe Root is keen on England’s white-ball return to “get the team back to where we want to be”.
England gave their youth a chance to shine after dropping both limited-overs World Cups and ended their tour of the Caribbean with their first T20 series win overseas in over two years.
But they have lost 13 of their 20 ODIs since India’s World Cup debacle began last year, and neither Stokes nor Root have worn the colors for England since the end of that campaign.
Stokes has been ruled out of consideration for this year’s T20 World Cup but hinted in January that he could return to the white ball when Brendon McCullum takes charge of England in all three formats.
Combination of youth and experience
With over 50 Champions trophies just three months away, Buttler is keen to combine inexperienced colleagues such as Jacob Bethell with seasoned practitioners in 2019 World Cup winners Stokes and Root.
“I can’t speak for them individually but I hope they have white-ball aspirations. They are two great players.” England’s limited-overs captain spoke after the fifth T20 loss in St. Lucia.
“There is depth within the team and a lot of experience outside the team as well. We have an interesting combination that can come together and get our white-ball team back to where we want to be.
“We will be speaking to those responsible over the coming weeks. The players here played really well. Some of the younger players did no harm at all. There are some who are not here but have aspirations for the white-ball side. “It’s really interesting.”
When the coaching roles were split a few years ago, Matthew Mott’s ODI and T20 teams took a backseat as McCullum, particularly in bilateral cricket, rebuilt a flagging Test team.
Talent Crossover
But Mott’s sacking in June after another World Cup disappointment and England consolidating their coaching roles under McCullum have raised hopes there will be more crossover of talent in the future.
“Obviously the two teams will be closer in terms of personnel, but the overall message will come from one person who is currently in charge of England cricket,” Buttler said.
“People who play all three formats will no longer feel stuck between red ball or white ball (formats). No matter what color the ball is, you may see the same face and the same person in charge. It will definitely provide more consistency.”
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