England captain Jos Buttler has declared himself fit for today’s opening Twenty20 International against Australia but Liam Livingstone’s ankle injury makes the all-rounder doubtful for their World Cup opener later this month.
Buttler, recovering from a nagging calf injury, watched from the sidelines as England beat Pakistan 4-3 before
flying into Australia, where they play three 20-overs matches against the world champions. “I’m back to 100 percent,” Buttler told reporters in Perth yesterday.
“Had a good time in Pakistan rehabbing, probably could have played earlier, but with the World Cup around the corner, it was the right thing to do.”
Buttler’s return to the playing XI means Alex Hales and Phil Salt would vie with each other for the second opener’s slot. “We have great options at the top of the order with guys in really good form in Pakistan,” Buttler said.
“They’re both excellent options. Whoever I partner with will have a great go at it.”
While England would welcome Buttler back into the squad, concern remains about white-ball star Livingstone’s availability for their October 22 World Cup opener against Afghanistan. “(He) is still a little way off at the minute so he’s building back,” Buttler said.
“Hopefully he’ll get back to full fitness before the start of the World Cup.”
Buttler also said all-rounder and test captain Ben Stokes would bat higher in their lineup. “Ben Stokes is someone we want to try to give as much opportunity to impact the game as possible,” Buttler said.
“Try to get him up the order as high as we can, give him
as much responsibility as possible and allow him to play his way to get the best out of him.”
Meanwhile explosive middle-order batsman Tim David is a “godsend” for Australia and it is up to the team management to decide how to utilise him in the Twenty20 World Cup, opener David Warner said. Singapore-born David, whose ball-striking prowess has made him a sought-after player in Twenty20 leagues across the world, has impressed since his Australia debut against India last month.
The 26-year-old showed what he is capable of with an incendiary 42 off 20 balls in Friday’s Twenty20 International against West Indies in Brisbane, where Australia completed a 2-0 series sweep.
“Now he’s in our team and our set-up, it’s a godsend,” said Warner, whose own form would be crucial to Australia’s hopes of defending the Twenty20 World Cup title on home soil later this month. “He’s an incredible player. Has some serious power, so it boosts our middle order, and to come out and play like that and with his height as well, and strength, it suits us, that’s for sure.”
On a tacky wicket from which most batsmen struggled to break loose, David clobbered three sixes and four fours, injecting fresh life into Australia’s stuttering batting performance.
“Now where does he fit in the line-up as well and what’s his role?” said Warner who topscored with a belligerent 75. “I think coming out and playing that role there perfectly, when it was a hard wicket to start on, really opens our eyes to ‘OK, now how do we utilise that?’
“You don’t get these types of players every day. So it’s going to be good for us moving forward and hopefully there’s a spot there as well, because the selectors have got a headache now, I think.”