Buttler defends Morgan absence after Vaughan blast

CARDIFF, Wales: Jos Buttler has defended England white-ball captain Eoin Morgan´s decision to leave himself out of the series-deciding third Twenty20 international against South Africa.

England beat the Proteas by 19 runs at Cardiff on Sunday to seal a 2-1 series win, with Morgan´s fellow Middlesex left-hander Dawid Malan, who got his chance because of the skipper´s absence, making 78 on his Twenty20 debut.

But following the toss, with Buttler leading the side instead of Morgan, former England captain Michael Vaughan tweeted: “1-1 ... Series decider ... and the England Skipper is resting !!1 #WTF ..... Worlds gone mad.”

And former England batsman James Taylor, commentating on BBC Radio, said of Morgan: “He´s the leader and he should be playing.”

Morgan is now a limited overs specialist at international level and so is unlikely to be involved in the upcoming four-Test series against South Africa.

But Buttler defended Morgan´s move by saying: “It shows how much cricket gets played.

“It´s very important to keep guys mentally fresh,” added the wicket-keeper, who had previously led England in Dubai and Bangladesh — a tour that Morgan missed because of security fears — but never before on home soil.

Buttler rejected suggestions that spectators in Cardiff had been short-changed by Morgan´s absence.

“If you turned up here, saw a brilliant game of cricket and England win the series, then as an England fan I think you can go home very happy,” he said.

Morgan previously justified his move by saying: “We recognise the series as a big opportunity to have a look at a younger group of players.

“If it was a case where I could go on and captain, I would. But this is an important part of our development for this series.” Malan was named man-of-the-match after posting the highest score by an England cricketer on their Twenty20 debut.