by Jos Buttler linked up with England in Barbados ahead of his rumored return this week, but he will not take the wicketkeeping gloves in the T20 series against the West Indies.
Several comeback attempts from a nagging calf injury had to be aborted, meaning the England white-ball captain has not played professionally since late June at the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean.
After missing The Hundred this summer, Australia’s limited-overs tour in September and the ongoing ODI series against the Windies, Buttler intends to make an easy comeback as a specialist opening batter.
Phil Salt will instead be behind the stumps when the T20s begin with a double-header at Bridgetown this weekend, freeing Buttler to get closer to his bowlers and communicate more clearly with them.
Moeen Ali and Chris Jordan were previously counted on to fill that role, but both men are no longer in the team, with Buttler one of the few experienced leaders currently in the dressing room.
“Maybe this will allow him to get a little more enjoyment at the halfway mark by having the opportunity to chat with the bowlers,” Salt said.
“The only thing guarding takes away from you is the benefit of being there with the bowlers at the peak of their performance all the time.
“Sometimes you can get stuck in a position where the only times you run towards a bowler is when things don’t go as planned and you run to reaffirm positive things.”
Buttler retained 106 from his previous 108 T20s but was preparing to hand over the responsibility had he been in form against Australia, with Salt taking over in the T20s and Jamie Smith in the ODIs.
After arriving in Barbados on Sunday evening, Buttler was one of a handful of players to take part in optional training at Kensington Oval, where he completed some close-field drills and completed five minutes of tosses into the nets before a downpour brings the session to a premature conclusion.
While Buttler is focused on strengthening his captaincy after a difficult 12 months in which England sacrificed both limited-over World Cups, Salt is only too keen to have more influence on a match.
“It’s not something I’ve done a lot of for England recently, but I like to keep it,” Salt said. “I feel like that’s where I offer the most to the team. I think this is the best place to watch the game at any time.
“I will do whatever the team asks of me, that has always been my mentality. I want to be involved in everything. Even when I’m on the field, I want the ball to come towards me on every ball.
The immediate priority for Salt and England is Wednesday’s ODI decider after leveling the series at 1-1 last weekend, with Liam Livingstone’s unbeaten century seeing them return to a target of 329.
Having spent much of his formative years growing up in Barbados, Salt has added incentive to succeed, while England could call on another pair of born and bred Bajans in Jofra Archer and Jacob Bethell.
“I’m desperate to do well in this match for several reasons,” Salt said. “It’s by far the ground I’ve watched the most cricket at. Doing well here would be really special.
Prior to Saturday’s victory, England had lost 12 of their previous 18 ODIs and there is constant speculation that The Hundred relegating the domestic 50-over competition to secondary status has had a negative impact on the development of some youngsters players.
“I don’t think there are a lot of players on this team that you could evaluate and say ‘oh, they’re doing a great job right now,'” Salt added. “That’s the reality because we haven’t played much 50-over cricket.
“I would love something like a national 50-and-over competition. I would love the opportunity to play in that so you can get the rhythm and it’s not always stop-start. But this is what we have. As a player you have to adapt.
