The England cricketer, who last played a Test in 2022, has scored 2,907 at 31.94 in 57 matches.
England’s white-ball captain, Jos Buttler, has disclosed that he feels “unfulfilled” with his Test career and was not comfortable with his identity, unlike in limited-overs cricket. In a recent interaction with former cricketer Steven Finn, Buttler explicitly spoke about the challenges in maintaining an aggressive approach in red-ball cricket.
Speaking on BBC’s Test Match Special, the wicketkeeper-batter discussed the complexities of continuing the same batting approach across all formats, particularly in the longest format of cricket. The right-hand batter, who is regarded as one of the finest white-ball batters, failed to crack the code of Test cricket. He featured in 57 red-ball matches, scoring 2,907 runs at a modest average of 31.94. The more glaring issue was his inability to convert his starts into big scores, managing just two hundreds.
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The 34-year-old’s Test stint was filled with moments of brilliance and coupled with periods of struggle. He announced himself to Test cricket with a Test century against India in 2018 and gave a trailer of what he can achieve going forward. However, going forward, the stumper lacked the consistency that defines Test greats. The pressure to curb his natural instincts while maintaining effectiveness proved a constant battle.
“Unfulfilled, I would say. I was probably never entirely comfortable with my identity as a Test cricketer and how I was going to play. I had huge support. Joe Root was a brilliant captain for me. He pushed me and believed in me,” Buttler told the BBC Test Match Special Podcast when asked to summarise his Test career.
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The Lancashire cricketers disclosed that they came in the 2018 India tour of England 2018, on the back of a successful Indian Premier League (IPL) season for Rajasthan Royals (RR); Buttler could not flourish. In the IPL 2018, Buttler had amassed 548 runs in just 13 innings, averaging 54.80 at a strike rate of 155.24, including five fifties. On the other hand, in the Test series against India, he managed 349 runs in nine innings, averaging 38.77, including a hundred and two fifties.
“I had a brilliant IPL and came back into the side when Ed Smith came in as selector. A specialist batter at No.7 is probably unheard of, but it was kind of a free hit for me. I was probably too hard on myself. In one-day cricket, I always try to dominate the bowler, but I didn’t work out how to do that in Test cricket. I was probably too reactive to the ball coming down as opposed to trying to impose my game and be in control. But I love Test cricket. It is the hardest exam you can take. But if you do it well, it is more fulfilling than any cricket you can play. I miss it. I wish I’d done better at it to still be playing,” he added.
Though Buttler hasn’t announced his Test retirement yet, he might not be able to make a comeback in Test cricket. However, it might be the perfect time for him to get into the Test team, as England have adopted an ultra-aggressive approach in red-ball cricket in the last couple of years. But he will face strong competition from Jamie Smith, who is currently dominating Test cricket.
Buttler led England to their second T20 World Cup title in 2022 in England. However, the Three Lions had forgettable outings in the ODI World Cup 2023, the T20 World Cup 2024, and the Champions Trophy 2025, where they failed to qualify for the semi-finals. He now clarified that the 2023 ODI World Cup completely shook him as captain.
“The 2023 World Cup was incredibly difficult. Even though we played badly, we played way worse than I would think we could ever play. For that World Cup to happen the way it did, it was a huge confidence shock to my captaincy,” he said.
Buttler is currently enjoying success in The Hundred for the Manchester Originals. He is currently the second leading run-getter of the tournament, having amassed 208 runs in six innings, averaging 41.60. He scored in the last four innings, read: 19, 64*, 57, and 46.
