Jos Buttler fingers crossed, Ben Stokes and Joe Root keen on white-ball returns for England in a bid to get the ‘team back to where we want to be’.
England have given the youth a chance to shine since dropping out of two limited-overs World Cups and they completed their Caribbean tour by securing a maiden overseas T20 series win in over two years.
But they have lost 13 of 20 ODIs dating back to the start of last year’s World Cup debacle in India, with neither Stokes nor Root having worn colorful gear for England since the end of that campaign.
Stokes opted out of this year’s T20 World Cup but has hinted he would be open to a white-ball return when Brendon McCullum takes charge of England in all three formats in January.
With the 50-over Champions Trophy three months away, Buttler wants to combine the inexperience of Jacob Bethell with seasoned practitioners like 2019 World Cup winners Stokes and Root.
“I can’t speak for them individually, but I hope they have aspirations with the white ball – they are two great players,” the England limited-overs captain said after the fifth T20 failure in Sainte-Catherine. Lucy.
“There’s a lot of depth in the team and a lot of experience as well. There’s an exciting mix to come together and make sure we get the white ball team back to where we want to be.
“These are conversations for the next few weeks with those responsible. The guys here played very well. Some young players did not harm themselves. There are people who are not here who will also aspire to be on the side of the white ball. It’s really exciting.
When coaching roles were split a few years ago, Matthew Mott’s ODI and T20 teams took a back seat – particularly in bilateral cricket – to McCullum as he rebuilt a languishing Test team .
But Mott’s dismissal in June after further World Cup disappointment and England unifying coaching roles under McCullum raised hopes there would be more crossover of talent in the future.
“Naturally the teams will come closer in terms of personnel, but the overall message will come from one man who is now in charge of English cricket,” Buttler said.
“Guys who play in all three formats won’t feel as much like they’re caught between the red or white ball formats. Maybe you’ll see the same faces and the same manager, regardless of the color of the ball. This will certainly provide more consistency.