Jos Buttler to open in England's T20I against Australia
Watch the T20I England and Australia live on Sky Sports Cricket and Main Event from 6pm on Wednesday
Wednesday 27 June 2018 18:20, UK
Jos Buttler will open the batting for England in their T20 international against Australia at Edgbaston on Wednesday.
Buttler, who hit a match-winning 110 not out in the fifth ODI at Old Trafford to clinch a 5-0 whitewash of Australia, has been promoted due to his current fine form with the bat. This included a successful spell as an opener for the Rajasthan Royals during the 2018 Indian Premier League.
Buttler struck 548 runs at an average of 54.80 and 155.24 strike-rate during the tournament, equalling an IPL record with five successive fifties.
He has usually batted in the middle order for England, although his highest T20I score of 73 not out against Sri Lanka came in his only previous appearance as an opener.
Paul Farbrace, standing in for head coach Trevor Bayliss for the game against Australia and the subsequent three T20Is against India, said of Buttler when confirming the move: "You want to get your best strikers facing as many balls as possible. The form he's in, the way he's playing, it makes sense to get him at the top of the order.
"He's using the experience he's gained to make himself more consistent, whatever colour the ball, whatever form of the game.
"On Sunday, I thought that was as good an innings as I've seen him play for England - probably on a par with the hundred he got in Dubai against Pakistan.
"One was exciting shots and just pure skill, and the other day he showed how much he's learned, how much calmer he is at the crease."
Bayliss has given Farbrace his backing to replace him as England coach when he stands down after next year's Ashes series, and his short stint in charge for the T20s is being seen by some as a possible audition for the job, though the man himself said he is not view it as that.
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"I don't see it as an opportunity for me. I just see it as a chance for the players to keep playing well," Farbrace added. "I don't think the next 10 days are necessarily about me at all really.
"I've been fortunate enough to be an acting head coach a couple of times before, thoroughly enjoyed it, but who knows?
"Even if I was lucky enough to be considered come next September, then that would be a great position to be in."
Meanwhile, Australia T20 captain Aaron Finch is confident there will be no hangover from the side's ODI series hammering by England.
"We had a debrief and we've put that stuff to bed," Finch said. "As a T20 team - we have new faces to bring fresh
energy, guys that have no baggage.
"It's a great opportunity to get out there and strut our stuff in a format we have had success in."
England squad: Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Jos Buttler (wkt), Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, David Willey
Australia squad: Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey (wkt), Travis Head, Nic Maddinson, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, D'Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Andrew Tye, Jack Wildermuth
Watch the T20 international between England and Australia, at Edgbaston, live on Sky Sports Cricket and Main Event from 6pm on Wednesday.
