Jos Buttler on new coach McCullum’s radar for England Test recall

Jos Buttler continues to remain the headline act for Rajasthan Royals in the ongoing Indian Premier League 2022 season. His latest batting recital against Bangalore elevated his side to the final against Gujarat Titans. Interestingly, Buttler’s good fortunes with the bat this season have put him back in the reckoning for a Test recall to the England side.

The dynamic batter last wielded the English whites back in January this year, during the fourth Ashes Test match in Australia. The 31-year-old was subsequently dropped from the final Test match, following a string of low scores throughout the series. He was also axed from England’s flight to West Indies in March for a three-match series, which the visitors ended up losing 0-1.

The English team, under new leader Ben Stokes, is set to face New Zealand in three home Tests next week. The RR batter found no place in the squad, but apparently, the newly appointed Test coach, McCullum, has hinted at a possible return for him following his IPL 2022 deeds.

The legendary New Zealander said, “Jos is one of those players you look at instantly and think how could he be so dominant in one form of the game and not quite have found his feet, other than a few fleeting performances, in Test cricket?”

Praising the wicketkeeper-batter, the coach added, “There’s no reason why, if you’re good at T20, you can’t bring those skills into Test cricket, and you look at some of the guys who have dominated the IPL in the last two months."

McCullum, who watched Buttler’s IPL exploits for the Royals from close quarters as the English coach, was himself part of the tournament this season as the head coach of the Kolkata Knight Riders management.