England wicket-keeper batsman Jos Buttler revealed an adaptation to his batting approach that provided England a revival on day three of the third Test with Sri Lanka was inspired by Michael Clarke.
Meanwhile, Buttler guided England from 39 for 4 to 230 as they build a lead of 326 runs. He took the attack to the spin coming down the track and using his feet to perfection. He smashed 64 off 79 balls before paying price for his aggression. Jos Buttler said he was at ease with his dismissal as he adopted an approach from the Clarke school of batting.
“We were trying to wrestle back momentum,” Buttler told Sky Sports. “The new ball seems to be a tricky place to bat against spin – some were skidding on, some were spinning.
“We’ve talked about trying to play in a brave way and looking to score. It felt like being busy and getting them off their lengths was the best way to go, and trying to get a partnership going, which we managed with me and Ben [Stokes],” he added.
Clarke inspired me: Jos Buttler
The dashing batsman admitted that he adopted this idea watching one of Michael Clarke’s innings. He also noted that he sticks with the gameplan and doesn’t shy away from giving his wicket due to it.
“In Kandy, we were watching one of those cricket classics and Michael Clarke was batting, and Jimmy [Anderson] said: ‘God, he was using his feet nearly every ball and Swanny couldn’t bowl at him’. I thought that seems like a good way to go, I’ll try a bit of that.
“I might get out, but you could get out any ball doing anything. If I stick to my game plan and get out, I’m more at ease with that than if I veered away from it,” he concluded.