Harry Brook must be in our best team now for World Cup, admits England captain Joe Buttler

Jos Buttler has revealed that Harry Brook’s performance in Pakistan has led England to reconsider its best team for next month’s Twenty20 World Cup.

‘That’s exactly what you want. People who show what they can do and give you options for the last eleven,” said England captain Buttler.

“He has been so impressive, not only with the points he scores, but also with the way he scores them and his attitude at the crease. He is calm and composed. He has a lot to offer for his game and I really enjoyed watching him play up close.

“Of course it will always depend on the circumstances, but someone who can hit the middle ground like he does now, in many different situations, is seriously impressive. He certainly raises his hand and strongly advocates that, doesn’t he? It’s just great to have such options. We have some guys coming back in Ben Stokes and Liam Livingstone so there are some good selection headaches.”

Brook, 23, was one of the reserve batters on the squad with Phil Salt when the 15 names for Australia were recently confirmed, but has since made the No 5 position his own on this tour, accumulating 188 runs . only 108 balls.

In fact, his prowess was such that Moeen Ali — who ran operations on the field while Buttler recovers — ditched plans to float up and down to stay for six hours.

Buttler says he’s “desperate to get out of there” after succumbing to a calf problem in mid-August, but he’s taking a cautious approach to his comeback.

He warned at the start of this tour that he may not show up at all and Moeen will continue to wear the bracelet Wednesday, weather permitting.

Pre-match practice for both teams in a 2-2 series was canceled on Tuesday after a mid-afternoon deluge and more rain is forecast.

Brook has made England rethink its best team for next month’s Twenty20 World Cup

Of his own fitness, Buttler said: “It’s not that there’s anything wrong, it’s just being able to knock through and get wicket-holding and make sure you don’t get any reactions the next day. Hopefully I’ll get a game if it goes well, but I’m not sure at this point if I will or not.

“It feels really good and I think if I had to play we could push it and I could, but we’re taking it easy now that the World Cup is just around the corner and I don’t have to take any risks.”

Two of England’s 2019 50-over world bowling champions will be reunited at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, with Chris Woakes finally dealing with a knee problem that has lingered in the Caribbean since March’s Test series.

Mark Wood returned from an equally long hiatus to spectacular success, taking three for 24 in Karachi last Friday.

They represent the success of the past, but after a summer in which England’s limited-overs outfit suffered a post-Eoin Morgan hangover and failed to win one of their four home series against India and South Africa, Buttler shares this period as an opportunity for the vision with new coach Matthew Mott to come to the fore.

Buttler said, ‘I see this as a new era for English whiteball cricket. There’s no need to tear up the way we play, but this is a time when we need to look ahead.

“A lot of our players here played in the last era and loved that. It was a brilliant team to play in. But this team now really has to be a team that doesn’t look back on what we used to do. It’s about what’s ahead of us.

Captain Joe Buttler is ‘desperate’ to play, but handles a calf problem with caution

“There has been a cultural shift in our white ball cricket over time and these younger guys coming in don’t need to be told how they are going to play. It’s important not to be too prejudiced about how you’re going to do that. Yes, you have to plan so you don’t get caught or surprised, but unless you know exactly how the game is going to go, you don’t know exactly how to play and that’s what I want players to be able to do. Respond to a situation they face.’

Buttler believes a fearless approach and the return of some old hands can lead to success at the T20 World Cup.

“It shows how far we’ve come in these tournaments and in the talks as a team that can win – a team that is expected to go a long way and reach the semi-finals and finals,” he said.

“Obviously when you get this far you want to win trophies and we’re a good team to be able to do that.”

Jos Buttler spoke on behalf of Booking.com, whose research ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia next month shows that half of England’s supporters would travel 3,000 miles to support their team abroad.

In a survey answered by more than 1,000 fans, 12% would be willing to miss their own wedding to take part in an international cricket tour.