IND vs ENG: Lots On England Captain Jos Buttler’s Plate In T20Is, Feels Michael Atherton
Published - 17 Jul 2022, 06:50 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:10 AM
Former England captain Michael Atherton had said that he feels that current England skipper Jos Buttler just has a lot on his plate at the moment to focus solely on the captaincy. However, he also said that Buttler was the right person to take over from Eoin Morgan after the left-hander decided to hang up his boots from international cricket.
Buttler made his debut as the full-time England white-ball captain in the T20I series against India recently, which England lost 2-1 and currently the three-match ODI series is leveled 1-1 with both the teams clashing in the deciding third and final ODI at Manchester on July 17, 2022.
The Thing I Would Say Is That In T20, He Has Quite A Lot On His Plate: Michael Atherton On Jos Buttler
Speaking to broadcaster Sony Sports, Atherton said that Buttler was the right person chosen to succeed Eoin Morgan as England limited-overs captain, and the only other potential name discussed would have been that of Moeen Ali.
“It was absolutely the right choice to make Jos Buttler captain. There would have been one or two alternatives that they would have discussed, principally Moeen Ali. But Buttler had been the vice captain and he captained the side in Morgan’s absence from time to time and had done a pretty good job,” Atherton said.
However, he said that it was early days for the right-handed batter and he in fact had a lot on his plate.
He added: “It is early days. I think in the industry as you know in the written and television world, we are very quick to make snap judgements. But I think you have to let it play out a little bit and you have to see it develop.
The thing I would say is that in T20, he has quite a lot on his plate. Opening, keeping captaining, puts quit a lot on his shoulder. But you know that the ODIs are slightly different. He does not open the batting in the ODIs. But it is early days, but I have no doubts that he is going yo do a good job as the England white-ball captain. And I can’t see that there is going to be a dramatic change in approach from the Morgan days.”
Atherton praised England’s white-ball depth and said that England are still competitive with a second-string bowling attack and indicated that the team has a bright future ahead of them.
