Monday 23 November 2015 15:01, UK
Jos Buttler's record-breaking knock has put him back in pole position to keep wicket in England's Test series against South Africa, says Sir Ian Botham.
Buttler blasted England's fastest international hundred off just 46 balls to power the tourists towards an 84-run victory over Pakistan in the fourth one-day international, a result that earned Eoin Morgan's men a 3-1 series triumph.
The 25-year-old lost the gloves to Jonny Bairstow after England's 178-run defeat to Pakistan in the second Test in Dubai following a miserable run with the bat in which he averaged just 8.5 from four innings in the UAE.
But Botham believes Buttler is now firmly back in contention after his pyrotechnics in the one-day series.
"He scored 49 not out in the third ODI and looked like he was getting it all back together - timing, confidence," said the former England all-rounder.
"Today he blew the Pakistani bowling apart - he ripped them all whether it was spin or pace. It didn't matter. He hit the ball as we know he can in strange and different places - it's almost impossible to set fields for him when he bats like that.
"When he decides to go for the big shot, he's got really fast hands and he hits that ball very hard and it goes, more often than not, a very long way.
"We've got Buttler in this series and then very shortly we'll be in South Africa, who have AB de Villiers, and they are currently the two star men when it comes to the improvisation of one-day and Test cricket. They are probably two of the best strikers in the game.
"I think Buttler will end up starting the series as wicketkeeper. He didn't do anything wrong as a 'keeper, he just didn't get any runs.
"It would be hard on Jonny because he hasn't done anything wrong but Buttler was the chosen guy but I think on this form, with the T20s to come as well, I'd be very surprised if he doesn't start in the Test series."
Buttler's fireworks stole the headlines from Jason Roy, who struck 102 off 117 balls to register his maiden one-day international ton.
"He was hungry for a hundred; he's been talking about how he wanted to emulate his opening partner, Alex Hales, who got a hundred a couple of games ago," reflected Botham.
"He did that in some style. I thought he played very well. His shot selection was good; he times the ball extremely well. Don't forget Root got 71 off 71 balls; that was the nucleus of that score for England."
Watch England take on Pakistan in the first of two Twenty20 internationals, starting from 3.30pm on Sky Sports 2 on Thursday.
