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England skipper Jos Buttler backed hard-hitting batter Jonny Bairstow to come good at number four position ahead of the start of their ICC T20 World Cup campaign against Scotland on June 4 in Barbados.
England will start their T20 WC title defence against Scotland at Barbados on Tuesday. After a disappointing 50-over World Cup in which they finished seventh with just three wins in nine games, Buttler's men will be looking to start afresh, especially with winning momentum after a 2-0 series win against Pakistan under their belt. Bairstow has not had the most spectacular 2024 with the bat. In 13 T20s this year, he has scored just 347 runs at an average of 31.54, with a strike rate of 151.52, with his stats being boosted by a knock of 108* against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL), where he could make only 298 runs in 11 matches. "I think for every player in the team, it is about trying to read the situation of the game and play accordingly. I think Jonny has got the experience and the game to play that role for us at number 4," said Buttler in a press conference on Saturday as quoted by ESPNCricinfo. "It is something he's done quite a bit in the T20 side previously as well, and he has got great variety in his game. So he is used to batting in the powerplay should that situation arrive at number 4, but he has also got experience and power, and is a good player of spin throughout the middle phase as well," he added. Bairstow was expected to open for England in the 2022 T20 World Cup but missed out due to a freak injury sustained during a game of golf. He called the move to play at number four as a "promotion". He has spent the majority of the last few months in India, playing the 50-over World Cup last year, a five-match Test series against England in January-March and later the IPL. Despite disappointing statistics, Buttler said that Bairstow, who was expected to open for England in the 2022 T20 World Cup but missed the tournament due to a freak injury sustained while playing golf, called the move to No. 4 "a promotion". Bairstow has spent the majority of the last year playing in India. It started with the 2023 ODI World Cup, followed by the five-match Test series and then the IPL. But Buttler said Bairstow was anything but jaded. "I think he is excited. I think he is in a good space. He has been away for a long time, but he is a very proud guy and he has been playing a lot of cricket for England over that period of time, which is where he wants to be," said Buttler. "So he seems in a good space. His family is going to be with him on this trip as well, which is nice. And I think getting that injury just before the last T20 World Cup, I'm sure he is really excited for this one," he concluded. (ANI)
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