Jos Buttler faces watershed moment with Phil Salt set to keep the gloves in England’s upcoming T20 series against West Indies
- England captain Jos Buttler will make his return from injury on Saturday
- However, Phil Salt has been told that he will keep the gloves for the T20 series
Jos Buttler is set to reach a turning point in his England captaincy after it was confirmed that Phil Salt will keep the wicket in the upcoming Twenty20 series against the West Indies.
Buttler, 34, has been behind the stumps for 106 of his most recent 108 T20 international appearances, taking on the role of wicketkeeper-batsman in all 39 one-day internationals in which he has captained.
However, he spent his first day on this tour on Monday doing extensive fielding exercises during an optional training session at the Kensington Oval, after which Salt revealed he had been told he would keep the gloves after one-day series.
Buttler missed the three 50-over matches here after a second setback with a calf injury that has kept him sidelined since the T20 World Cup semi-final defeat to India here in the Caribbean in June.
He had initially hoped to return against Australia in September, and considered whether to play as a specialist for those matches – in his absence Salt stayed in the 1-1 T20 draw and Jamie Smith came in for the ODIs.
Jos Buttler is expected to make his long-awaited return from injury for England on Saturday
However, the England captain will not take his familiar position with the gloves against the West Indies
Brendon McCullum, who will take charge of England’s next white-ball tour of India in the new year, recently claimed that he got a better perspective of the matches from the inner field circle when he was in charge of New Zealand.
“If it helps me with my captaincy then I’m open to it,” Buttler said after being ruled out of the Australian series.
Buttler has given up the gloves just twice since succeeding Eoin Morgan as white-ball leader two-and-a-half years ago: in a 3-2 T20 defeat last December.
Salt replaced that tour in what was seen as an experimental measure but appears to be lined up for a more permanent role after being pulled aside for a chat by acting head coach Marcus Trescothick last weekend.
“It’s not something I’ve done a lot for England recently, but I like keeping it and feeling like that’s where I can offer the most,” Salt said.
‘The question I was asked a lot this summer when I was captain was: ‘Does it take anything away from what you do?’ I don’t think that’s the case in any way. I think this is always the best place to watch the game.
“There may be a small advantage in being behind the stumps making these judgments.”
Buttler agreed with these thoughts in May when he endorsed his triple role ahead of the World Cup, saying: ‘I feel like I have the best view. I see exactly what is happening and can make a call.’
But after surviving a summer review that cost Matthew Mott his job, he has embraced further changes and, fitness permitting, will direct traffic from halfway to Bridgetown on Saturday.
Instead, Phil Salt has been told he will retain his position as England wicketkeeper
Before that five-match season begins, England will look to stage a one-day comeback here on Wednesday after drawing to 1-1 thanks to the maturity of stand-in captain Liam Livingstone, who is unbeaten at 100 in Antigua.
England have multiple wicketkeeping options in what is now a 17-man squad, and one of them, Essex’s Michael Pepper, who was called up to cover the absence of the injured Buttler for the first week of the tour, will remain here for the T20s.