JOS BUTTLER - ENGLAND'S NEXT BIG THING.

Snails is the word one uses when they describe England in ODI's. The first thing that comes to their mind is Bell, Cook, Trott and Bopara. No one gives them a chance in ODIs and its true as well. You cannot win ODI games with snails at the top but what people forget is they have couple of devastating middle order batsmen in Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler. Eoin Morgan has proved himself and has made a name for himself but what about Buttler's contribution? People forget what he has done for this team.

                Jos Buttler has always been England's lynch-pin when it comes to shorter formats. He has helped England to win games out of nowhere or even post a mammoth score coming in at the back end of the innings. We saw a glimpse of Buttler in the champions league for Somerset where people were dumbfounded with the quality and the precision of his unorthodox strokes, mainly the "Marillier scoop" which has different names now. Renowned for his arsenal of creative shots, Buttler has made his name as an exciting limited overs batsmen, not to forget he has mastered the traditional skills too.

                  It is said that TALENT DOES WHAT IT SHOULD DO BUT A GENIUS DOES WHAT HE IS MEANT TO DO. Buttler is a perfect example for the above lines. The way he decimates the opposition is pleasing to the eyes. He has done it against Australia in Australia and yesterday he owned Lankan bowlers. 

                   Buttler is fearless, unselfish and innovative at the same time. The speed of his hands, the weight of his shot and the belief in his abilities to clear the boundaries all over the ground make him one of the batsmen to watch out for. He comes in at No.7, where he is frequently either finishing off the innings after a slow start by the openers or trying to chase down a score when the run rate required is above 10. If England use him properly he can surely be one of the greats of English cricket.

                   If England use him well, I feel he can even beat Alec Stewart as one of the most stylish English wicket keeper batsmen. Though he doesn't have the same class when it comes to keeping as of Jack Russell and Alec Stewart but he surely has it in him to be crowned the king of the world when it comes to batting. He will master the art of keeping as well as he gains experience but England should not waste this diamond. At 24, he has raised so many eye brows. Watch out for him in the 2015 world cup. He is the one who will mostly decide England's fate in limited overs for the next decade or so.

Rohan Satelkar
Author, Blogger, England cricket fan