Lancashire keeper Jos Buttler has received lavish praise from England players past and present after top scoring in the defeat of Australia which ended the tourists’ nine-match losing streak.
Buttler struck an emphatic 71 off 43 balls as England posted 316 and dismissed Australia for 259 to secure their first victory against Australia on tour.
A host of current England stars praised the wicketkeeper, who signed for Lancashire from Somerset at the end of last season, for his role in the win.
England star Kevin Pietersen wrote on his Facebook page: “Well done boys!! Fantastic play by Ben Stokes & Jos Buttler #starsofthefuture #england #boom.”
Lancashire teammate James Anderson tweeted: “Really pleased for Cooky and the England boys! Some great performances from @benstokes38 & @josbuttler.”
Lancashire County Cricket Club responded to Buttlers performance on Twitter with: “Come on, admit it, who is excited about @josbuttler playing for us this season?”
While Ben Stokes was given the man of the match award for his score of 70 plus four wickets, Buttler’s performance has again caught the eye.
It was England’s first win against the full Australia side since arriving down under, having lost the first three One Day Internationals after being thrashed 5-0 in the Ashes series.
Given the recent struggles of wicketkeepers Matt Prior and Jonny Bairstow, there have been calls for Buttler to be given the gloves in the Test team.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan believes the role in the five day side in a fight between Buttler and Prior.
Vaughan tweeted: “Can @josbuttler be the Test Keeper…Yep…It will be a good battle between him and @MattPrior13 at the start of the season…”
Prior seems unconcerned by the potential competition and praised Buttler himself.
“Well done England! To say it’s been tough is an understatement but that was a great performance. Awesome from @benstokes38 & @josbuttler,” Prior tweeted.
Buttler will be hoping to continue his good form in the final one-day game on Sunday before he will feature for England in the T20 international series against Australia.
Image courtesy of ecbcricket, with thanks.
For more on this story and many others, follow Mancunian Matters on Twitter and Facebook.
