The decision stems from the fact that the 34-year-old wants to focus solely on his batting and on leading the side.
England’s white-ball skipper Jos Buttler is contemplating taking a critical call of giving up his wicketkeeping responsibilities ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
The decision stems from the fact that the 34-year-old wants to focus solely on his batting and on leading the side.
Notably, England had won the 2022 T20 World Cup under Buttler’s leadership but then ended up succumbing in their title defence of both the T20 and 50-over World Cups.
Buttler, who was making a comeback after spending four months on the sidelines due to an injury layoff during the recent T20I series against West Indies, employed the tactic and handed over the wicketkeeping duties.
Interestingly, Buttler’s decision to play solely as a batter helped England’s cause as they outclassed the Windies 3-1.
Echoing on the same lines, Jos Buttler told Reuters, “It’s something we tried in the Caribbean, not keeping wicket and as captain being closer to the bowler, which I enjoyed.”
He added, “I had more time and energy not being a wicket-keeper and around training as well. That’s something I found interesting.”
Notably, Buttler has kept wicket for the majority of his T20I career, which began in 2011 but chose to hand it over to Phil Salt in the series against West Indies.
On the other hand, in the longest format, England has used the 24-year-old Jamie Smith. Smith made his England debut in red-ball cricket earlier this year and given his promising credentials, Smith can become a mainstay in the side if Buttler decides to step away from the wicketkeeping role entirely.
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For Jos Buttler, it is understandable that he wants to shift his focus more to his batting and captaincy, especially ahead of the mega-event in Pakistan next year to help the Three Lions dominate the world stage again.
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