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Even in the instant world of Twenty20, it takes some believing that a
single over can change the mindset of a team, never mind the player
involved. But the 32 runs that Jos Buttler
took off one over from Wayne Parnell in the final dregs of the English
summer has become emblematic for an England squad seeking proof that
they have the capacity to win the World Twenty20.
Before his Edgbaston escapade, Buttler was just another skilful young
player seeking to justify the faith shown in him. After one brief but
violent assault he has instantly become one of the most talked-about
players in town. "Which one is Jos Buttler?" is now a contender for the
top ten questions in the hotel lobby, proudly ranked alongside other
essentials like "is my room ready yet?" and "can you give me some change
for the tuk-tuk driver".
For more than a year, Buttler's T20 career was stillborn. He had 10
caps, but in six innings had reached double figures only once. Those who
had watched him at Somerset yearned for his ability to overflow. But he
got out twice in Dubai to his signature ramp shot and as well as
enquiring of the batting coach, he even asked the team psychologist,
Mark Bawden, if he should keep playing it. Bawden told him to trust his
instincts as sports psychologists tend to do.
Buttler, as he did in the aftermath of Edgbaston,
spoke in Colombo of the confidence this has brought him, that he "feels
calmer, more myself, more relaxed," that his ability to repay the faith
has given him a greater sense of belonging. A few days before the
biggest tournament of his life it could not be better timed.
"After the first one I hit, I thought 'this is good fun, I can enjoy
this'," he said. "It was just one of those overs: he bowled it where I
guessed and it just came off. I'm excited about gaining a bit of
recognition or getting noticed. That can only be a good thing; it means
you must have done something right for sides to know who you are."
But it is the positive impact that Buttler's innings has made upon the
England team that is so striking. England admittedly are defending
champions, but they do not play much T20 and have little involvement in
IPL. As one of the last sides to arrive in Sri Lanka, they could easily
feel like visitors rather than contenders.
Eoin Morgan,
who in the absence of Kevin Pietersen is the batsman with IPL-cred,
enthused about the wider impact of Buttler's innings. "It was absolutely
brilliant," he said. "It gives everyone else around them belief that he
can perform at any given time especially when it is to that extremity.
| The Pietersen imbroglio, Morgan said, was not a dressing room obsession, but neither was it a banned topic of conversation. "No, it's not like Voldemort, it's alright." | |||
"I've been watching Jos train for nearly a year now, and he's
phenomenal. We've all been waiting for this to evolve. The fact it has
now is awesome for his own confidence, knowing that he can pull out a
performance like that, and it is also great for the team.
"It wasn't easy for him in Dubai where it was reverse swinging, and it
was among his first couple of innings. There were a lot of contributing
factors to why he didn't have a chance to go out and play the way he
could. It is very timely he has now. Like anything, until you go out
there and prove to yourself and you know inside you can perform, all the
reassuring words run off your shoulders really."
The value of Buttler's assault is even more important if you accept
Morgan's assertion that T20 is evolving so quickly that experience is
often passed in the reverse manner, from young to old, rather like
teenage sons showing fathers how to download an App. Morgan might pass
on advice in team meetings about how to keep things simple, but he gets a
lot back in return.
"Everyone that comes through, you learn a hell of a lot more from," he
said. "You're always a generation behind when you're passing on
experience. The way the game's going, people are always bringing in new
things."
England play the first of two warm-up games against Australia in Colombo
tomorrow, at Nondescripts CC, a club with a name that Buttler need no
longer fear sums up his international career. Pakistan follow on
Wednesday before Group A matches against Afghanistan on Friday and India
two days later.
"I've played Afghanistan before, when I played for Ireland, and have
been on a losing side against them, so I won't be taking them for
granted at all," Morgan said. "They have a lot of up-and-coming players,
and it's a potential banana skin for us. If we don't perform, there's a
chance they could sneak over the line."
But survive that and England move to Pallakele for the Super Eights, to
face - barring shocks - West Indies, Sri Lanka and New Zealand and with
the October monsoon approaching a little unsettled weather might help
their cause, if not assist the batsman-friendly tournament for which the
ICC must yearn.
"Pallekele is similar to English conditions - it does do a bit," Morgan
said. "Research suggests it nips around which I'm not sure will be the
most attractive Twenty20 cricket. But there's every chance of these
conditions, especially with the rain around - which we're more used to
after the summer we've had."
As for Pietersen-watch, he is about to arrive in Sri Lanka as an expert
pundit for ESPN Star Sports. "I'd no idea he was coming," Morgan said.
"I look forward to seeing it. It could be quite funny."
The Pietersen imbroglio, he said, was not a dressing room obsession, but
neither was it a banned topic of conversation. "No, it's not like
Voldemort, it's alright," he said.
As Stuart Broad, England's T20 captain, has occasionally been compared
to Malfoy, this raises interesting possibilities. Harry Potter fans will
tell you that Voldemort gives Malfoy a hug - an awkward, unfeely hug,
but a hug nevertheless - in the final edition of Harry Potter. The first
time he bumps into Stuart Broad, England's T20 captain, in the hotel
lobby could be quite touching.
David Hopps is the UK editor of ESPNcricinfo
Feeds: David Hopps
© ESPN EMEA Ltd.
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