England’s legendary fast bowler Darren Gough has affirmed that swashbuckling wicket-keeper batsman Jos Buttler, has only the remainder of the 3-three match series against West Indies to save his Test career.
Buttler’s success with the bat in coloured-clothing has not entirely translated into the whites of-late. In the last 12 innings, Buttler has failed to cross the 50-run mark and even dropped an expensive Jermaine Blackwood catch at Southampton.
Later, Blackwood scored 95 and helped the Caribbeans go across the finishing line while chasing 200. Thereby registering a significant 4-wicket victory and clinching a 1-nil lead in the series.
“Buttler has got two Test matches to save his career, for me. He’s a terrific talent, lots of kids look up to him, and he has all the shots,” Gough said on Sky Sports’ show ‘The Cricket Debate’. “But, in Test cricket, you can’t just keep getting out, and that’s what he keeps doing,” said Gough. .
Also, Gough reflected upon the other debatable selections made by the England think-tank in the form of inclusion of Joe Denly and the exclusion of Stuart Broad.
“The (Joe) Denly selection — I think he’s been a lucky boy to play the Tests he has played. I love him as a bloke. I think he’s a terrific guy. “But if you consider that since 2000, 47 batsmen have played for England — there’s only three with worse averages to have played 15 Tests,” the 49-year old added.
Further, the ex-England seamer predicted Mark Wood and James Anderson would be rested, and Chris Woakes and Broad would make inroads in their places.
“I think Broad’s coming back in. I would rest Wood and Anderson at Old Trafford and bring in Broad and Woakes.” Gough concluded.
In the end, the former Yorkshireman prescribed a rotation policy between the pacers and tagged the trio of Anderson, Broad and Woakes as the ‘reliable three’.
