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.
Chairman PCB Mohsin Naqvi unveiled the Inter-College Ramadan T20 Cup 2024 trophy at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahoreon March...
Inter Miami's Argentine forward Lionel Messi seen in this undated photo. — AFP/File MIAMI: Lionel Messi will not...
Pakistan football player Fareedullah seen in this undated photo.—Instagram@fareed_ullah_officialISLAMABAD: National...
Sunrisers Hyderabad player Heinrich Klaasen seen in this undated photo.—AFP/File MUMBAI: Mumbai Indians missed a...
Aussie players Ashton Agar and Marcus Stoinis seen in this collage.—AFP/FileMELBOURNE: All-rounder Marcus Stoinis...
Pakistan Palyer Usama Mir seen running in this undated photo.—PCB/File LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board has...