England captain Eoin Morgan plays down Jos Buttler fitness concerns
Sunday 9 June 2019 13:38, UK
Eoin Morgan has eased worries over Jos Buttler's fitness after he did not keep wicket in Saturday's 106-run win over Bangladesh in Cardiff.
Buttler tweaked his hip while scoring a swashbuckling 64 from 44 deliveries as England amassed their highest World Cup score of 386-6, with Jonny Bairstow taking the gloves as Bangladesh were dismissed for 280.
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"No serious concern with Jos at the moment," Morgan said at the post-match presentation after England bounced back from Monday's defeat to Pakistan.
"He didn't keep just as a precaution after feeling his hip but that will be monitored over the next 48 hours," added Morgan, whose side are next in action against West Indies at The Ageas Bowl on Friday.
"Would we play Buttler as a specialist batsman? It depends on the risk of him making his injury worse in the field. In theory the best place to be would be with the gloves on.
"The worry would be that the high catch went up and he with the gloves would have to take the responsibility to take the catch, and make his hip worse.
"There are five days between now and the next game. We'll use every day as much as we can to get try to get him back on the park."
Buttler came to the crease above Morgan against Bangladesh, with England having reached 235-2 in the 35th over, principally due to Jason Roy (153).
Buttler proceeded to smash four sixes and two fours in his 19th ODI fifty, five days after he had scored his ninth century in the format, against Pakistan.
"He is just extraordinary and I love the way England are using him now," Sky Sports Cricket expert Rob Key said of Buttler.
"Sometimes when you have a hitter like that you think: 'We want to make sure he is there at the end' and bring him in with 15 overs to go.
"But, for me, you are looking at around the 25, 26-over mark. That is Buttler time, when he is going to come on and do something extraordinary.
"I feel it's derogatory sometimes calling him a freak but that's what he is with the way he can time the ball."
England went on to bowl Bangladesh out for 280 in 48.5 overs, with Jofra Archer (3-29) and Ben Stokes (3-23) sharing six wickets.
Key's fellow pundit Nasser Hussain says England's bowling was far shrewder than against Pakistan at Trent Bridge, when they conceded 348 runs.
"It was more like England," said Hussain. "I thought they overdid the short ball against Pakistan but were much better here. The surprise short ball works more than the complete bumper barrage ball after ball.
"You have to be careful in this tournament. It's easy to watch other sides bowl and think: 'That's the way we are going to do it'.
"England should be setting the example, they are the No 1 side in the world. Watch others but don't necessarily copy them.
"They looked at how West Indies went against Pakistan with short balls but that may have suited their attack on that particular pitch. Do what's best for your team. "
You can watch every match of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup on Sky Sports Cricket World Cup (channel 404), including England's next game against West Indies from 10am on Friday.
