‘Freakish’ is the only word Steven Finn could use to describe England batsman Jos Buttler, and the fast bowler thanks his lucky stars daily that facing the Lancashire man is a problem he is rarely fronted with.
Buttler has made himself one of the most feared batsmen in the world in recent years, with his ability to hit all around the wicket often leaving bowlers scratching their heads.
Ireland were set to be the next target on the batsmen’s radar, facing off with England in a two-match Royal London One-Day International Series, starting on Friday.
But such has been Buttler’s explosive impact, the 26-year-old will instead be taking to the field in India as part of the Indian Premier League having been snapped up by the Mumbai Indians.
But with a home Champions Trophy to also come this summer, Finn is backing Buttler to be a key cog in captain Eoin Morgan’s machine, with power and precision to match any of the world’s top batsmen.
“I’m very glad that I don’t have to play against Jos too often because he is a very freakish player and one who I love watching,” said Finn, while previewing the Ireland series.
“He does special things and the way he sees the game is so impressive, he does things that nobody else would even dare look at and that talent is incredible.
“He’s got the potential to be formidable, and he’s part of a batting line-up that as a unit can be formidable. As the team gets together more, plays more and has success together then they’re only going to get better.
“This England white-ball team can be at the top of tournaments and Jos is a big part of that, he’s got a special array of hitting and striking and he’ll want to make the most of that.”
England players have not always gone hand-in-hand with the IPL, though Buttler leads a plethora of stars taking to the world’s biggest T20 tournament this time around.
And with series to come against Ireland, West Indies and South Africa this summer alone, there’s hardly a better opportunity on which to hone in on skills.
Finn is among those confident Buttler in particular will benefit, especially with the brains of one of cricket’s legends to pick up during his time away.
“He’s out in the IPL with Mumbai so he’ll be with Sachin Tendulkar for six weeks and that will pretty much be a wealth of information he can get out there,” he added.
“From a learning perspective that’s a great thing, he’s gone over there and had the pressure of being an overseas player.
“He’s being paid decent money to perform, which is something he’ll have not really had elsewhere.”
Steven Finn and Tim Murtagh were speaking on behalf of Royal London, proud sponsors of One Day cricket, ahead of the upcoming ODI matches against Ireland.
