by Brendon McCullum has backed Jos Buttler’s bid to lead England back into the white-ball spotlight, insisting he believes the 33-year-old is the right man to lead the limited-overs side. But he also suggested Buttler was hampered by the fact he was “not as expressive as some can be” and “was a bit unhappy at times”.
McCullum said his main job as coach will be to “create an environment where players feel positive, where they feel like they can let their talent shine.”
Buttler led England to victory in the 2022 T20 World Cup five months after taking over from Eoin Morgan but has been unable to maintain that level of success as the team has endured hugely disappointing 50-over and 20-over tournaments in the last 10 months.
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Those performances cost white-ball coach Matthew Mott his job. McCullum added the role to his Test duties this week. He will officially take charge of the white-ball teams in January.
“He’s done a great job,” McCullum said of Buttler. “He’s won a World Cup as captain. He’s an incredibly gifted player. He’s a great leader.”
T20 Team Phil Salt (captain), Jofra Archer (Sussex), Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Jordan Cox (Essex), Sam Curran (Surrey), Josh Hull (Leicestershire), Will Jacks (Surrey), Liam Livingstone (Lancashire), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Dan Mousley (Warwickshire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Jamie Overton (Surrey), Reece Topley (Surrey), John Turner (Hampshire)
ODI Team Jos Buttler (Lancashire, captain), Jofra Archer (Sussex), Gus Atkinson (Surrey), Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Josh Hull (Leicestershire), Will Jacks (Surrey), Matthew Potts (Durham), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Phil Salt (Lancashire), Jamie Smith (Surrey), Reece Topley (Surrey), John Turner (Hampshire), Jordan Cox (Essex)
T20 Schedule
1st IT20: Wednesday September 11, Utilita Bowl (6:30 p.m.)
2nd IT20: Fri. September 13, Sophia Gardens (6:30 p.m.)
3rd IT20: Sunday 15 September, Emirates Old Trafford (2:30 p.m.)
ODI Calendar
1st ODI: Thursday 19 September, Trent Bridge, (12:30 p.m.)
2nd ODI: Saturday 21 September, Headingley (11am)
3rd ODI: Tuesday 24 September, Seat Unique Riverside (12:30 p.m.)
4th ODI: Friday 27 September, Lord’s (12:30 p.m.)
5th ODI: Sunday 29 September, Seat Unique Stadium (11am)
“My job is to get the best out of him so that everyone sitting in the dressing room feels like they can be 10ft tall and bulletproof when they go out to play and know the captain is going to enjoy the journey with them.
“What I want from Jos is for him to enjoy the next few years. If he retired today, he would be considered the best white-ball player England has produced. So the opportunity for the next three or four years, however long his career lasts, is just to enjoy. Not to protect anything. Just to get the best out of all those guys around him, keep walking towards danger, play with a smile on his face and try to do something really cool, that you can look back on and say, ‘Well, I’ve really enjoyed the last few years.’”
Buttler will not be able to resume his captaincy for the time being as he has been ruled out of the T20 series against Australia, which begins next Wednesday, due to a recurrence of the calf injury that derailed his season. He has not played since England’s T20 World Cup semi-final defeat to India in June, after injuring himself while running on the beach while on holiday. He could also be ruled out of the ODI series against Australia which begins on September 19.
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Phil Salt, who was also Buttler’s understudy as Manchester Originals captain in the Hundred, will lead the T20 side, with Harry Brook a likely replacement for the ODIs. Uncapped Essex batsman Jordan Cox has been added to the 50-over set-up as cover and Surrey’s Jamie Overton, who is batting this summer while recovering from a stress fracture in his lower back, comes into the T20 squad.
After the third and final Test against Sri Lanka, which begins on Friday, and where England will be looking to win a second Test match of the summer for the second time since the 1950s, McCullum’s next task will be to prepare for a three-Test series against Pakistan. That series is shrouded in uncertainty just four weeks before it is due to start.
The original schedule called for matches to be played in Multan, Karachi and Rawalpindi, but the Karachi stadium is being rebuilt for February’s Champions Trophy and will not be completed in time. Other venues are being considered, including some that are reportedly not in Pakistan.
“We can’t pick a team until we know where we’re going to play,” McCullum said. “It would be nice if we knew that over the next few days. Then we’ll sit down and make sure we have the right team for the right conditions and the right opposition.”
