Jos Buttler hopes ‘great players’ Ben Stokes and Joe Root 'have white-ball aspirations' following England T20 triumph
Published 18/11/2024 at 18:31 GMT
England’s ODI and T20 captain Jos Buttler has spoken of his desire to see Ben Stokes and Joe Root both playing limited overs cricket for England again on a regular basis - with Brendon McCullum set to take over as head coach of all formats from January. England face India in a five-legged T20 series in January, before clashing again in a three-match ODI series in February.
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Jos Buttler said he hopes that Joe Root and England Test captain Ben Stokes "have white-ball aspirations", after his side secured a 3-1 T20 series victory over West Indies.
England won their first T20 series overseas in two years, per Yahoo, with several young players showing their worth in the Caribbean, including Jacob Bethell.
But ODI and T20 captain Buttler was clear about who he would like to see slot back into the side when asked about making room for Stokes and Root, as he looked ahead to the upcoming T20 and ODI series' against India in January and February - to be shown live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
“I can’t speak for them individually, but I hope they have white-ball aspirations - they’re two great players,” Buttler said.
“There’s a lot of depth in the team and a lot of experience [in] the team as well. There’s an exciting blend to get together and make sure that we get the white-ball team back to where we want to be.”
After winning the World Cup in 2019 on home soil, England added the ICC T20 title in 2022 - but since then have stumbled in the shorter formats, crashing out of this year’s T20 World Cup in the semi-finals to the hands of India, after also losing in the group stages to Australia and South Africa.
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But Buttler believes the blend he now has of youth and experience stands England in good stead - especially once Brendon McCullum takes over as white-ball coach in January, when England head to India for a best-of-five T20 series, followed by three One Day Internationals.
“It’s conversations for the next few weeks with the guys in charge. The guys here have played really well,” Buttler said.
“Some of the young players have done themselves no harm at all. There are people who aren’t here who will have aspirations to be in the white-ball side as well. It’s really exciting.
“Naturally the teams will become closer in terms of personnel, but the overall messaging will be coming from one man who is in charge of England cricket now.
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“The guys who play all three formats won’t feel it’s [being caught between the] red or white ball as much anymore.
"Maybe you’ll see the same faces and the same guy in charge, no matter what colour the ball is. It’s certainly going to give more consistency.”
Stokes retired from ODI cricket in 2022, but returned for the World Cup in 2023. Root has not officially retired from the shorter formats - but has been focusing on Tests, with England having had a packed schedule in 2024.
And England's final task of the calendar year comes in the form of a three-match Test series in New Zealand, before heading to India in January.
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Watch and stream every ball of the New Zealand v England Test series in the UK on TNT Sports and discovery+
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