Kumar Sangakkara wants Jos Buttler to open the innings in Test Cricket for England: We’ve seen Sehwag, Hayden
India Today
Former Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara has said that he would like to see Jos Buttler open in Tests for England.
Former Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara has suggested that Jos Buttler should be considered by England for the opening slot in Tests.
Buttler is currently in the form of his life in white-ball cricket. He recently smashed 162 runs against The Netherlands as the wicketkeeper powered England to 498 runs in 50 overs and breaking their own record for the highest team score in ODIs. The 31-year-old also had a fantastic outing for the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL as he scored 863 runs in 17 matches. He scored four hundreds throughout the tournament and secured the Orange Cap.
When it comes to Tests, Buttler hasn't been able to attain similar success. From 2019, the wicketkeeper has played 29 matches in the longest format of the game, with an average of 27.81. He also had a torrid time in the Ashes and wasn't included for the subsequent tour of West Indies and the ongoing series against New Zealand.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Sangakkara, who worked with the 31-year-old at Rajasthan Royals, suggested that he should be considered to open the innings for England. The former Sri Lankan captain said that we have already seen attacking batters like Virender Sehwag and Matthew Hayden start the innings for their respective teams and Buttler should also be allowed to do the same for the Test team.
“I’d really look at him to open the innings in Test cricket. We’ve always talked about him batting at seven, batting with the tail. We’ve seen Sehwag, Hayden, all of them opening the innings why not Buttler?” said Sangakkara.
Buttler has opened on two occasions for England in Tests and scored four runs and a duck. The opening combination has been an issue for them in Tests with no opener averaging more than 30 since the start of 2021.
