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Jos Buttler is contemplating giving up the gloves as he bids to shore up his position as England captain following a revamp of the white-ball set-up.
Head coach Matthew Mott was axed after twin World Cup disappointments while experienced pair Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali are high-profile omissions for T20 and ODI series with Australia next month.
Buttler, who led England to the 2022 T20 World Cup title alongside Mott, has been backed to continue as skipper but his status is far from secure and he could do with an uptick in results against Australia.
In a bid to reverse their fortunes, England selector Luke Wright revealed Buttler is thinking about handing over the wicketkeeping gloves, probably to Phil Salt, in the three T20s from September 11-15.
Buttler averages 38.14 in 106 T20s behind the stumps compared to 17.4 in 18 matches without but this experiment, unlikely to extend to the five-match ODI series, allows him to field nearer to his bowlers.
Doing so lets him offer advice, particularly when the pressure is at its highest during the death overs, and was a hallmark of Eoin Morgan’s captaincy with the role passing to Moeen under Buttler.
“It is something that he’s considering at the moment,” said Wright.
“I think it’s something he’s open to. It’s something that could easily happen in this Australia series.”
Buttler, who is expected to shrug off a calf injury that saw him miss The Hundred, will oversee a more inexperienced group with five uncapped players in for Marcus Trescothick’s first assignment as interim coach.
Tall left-arm seamer Josh Hull, plus all-rounder Jacob Bethell and paceman John Turner are in both squads while Dan Mousley and Jordan Cox have been drafted in for the T20s.
“Now feels like the right time to have a few more picks in there and look probably for the future,” said Wright.
“It’s certainly not an experiment. These guys are top cricketers. The one thing we don’t lack in England is the amount of talent that’s around.
“With the schedule, it gives us the opportunity to look at some wider squads, and gives us the opportunity to look at some of those younger lads who sometimes wouldn’t get that opportunity.
“Watching The Hundred, watching Bethell go about his business, some of these young lads, I thought they were outstanding. I think the future’s very bright for English cricket.”
Now feels like the right time to have a few more picks in there and look probably for the future. It’s certainly not an experiment. These guys are top cricketers— Luke Wright
While limited-overs regulars Liam Livingstone and Sam Curran were left out of the ODIs from September 19-29, World Cup winners Moeen and Bairstow have been omitted altogether.
Moeen, at 37, has previously accepted his international career was winding down but Bairstow, who turns 35 next month, has given no indication he is ready to call time with England.
Wright admitted Bairstow, who lost his Test spot at the start of the summer having struggled for form across all formats since a horrific leg break in the summer of 2022, was unhappy at being dropped.
But Wright insisted the door remains ajar for the Yorkshireman, who has been challenged to show he is worthy of a recall.
“One of Jonny’s great strengths is how much he wants to play,” added Wright. “He was hugely disappointed (to miss out). I’m sure he’ll fight his way back.
“We just want him back to being one of the best players in the world. He had that horrific injury, and that’s been the message. Can we get you back to where you were pre-injury?
“He understands that. He doesn’t like it. One thing Jonny will do is fight back, and I hope he does and gets himself back in the team.”
Wright was similarly reluctant to call time on the careers of Moeen and seamer Chris Jordan, adding: “I certainly won’t be saying that’s the end of them.
“Chris Jordan was left out last winter and then still ended up going to the T20 World Cup (in June).”
