Matt Prior interview: 'Jos Buttler thrives in latter overs, so don't move him'
My ODI career has been "disappointing", says rehabbing gloveman
Monday 29 December 2014 12:40, UK
Matt Prior is backing Jos Buttler to become a hugely successful wicketkeeper-batsman for England – if he bats in the right position.
Buttler, 24, now wears the gloves in all forms of the game for his country but has reserved his best for the one-day international arena, scoring a maiden – and thrilling – hundred against Sri Lanka at Lord’s in May during the latter overs.
You don’t want him in too early playing that rebuilding role when we’ve got players like Ravi Bopara to do that.
The Lancashire star reached three figures off just 61 deliveries in north-west London that day – recording the quickest ODI ton by an Englishman – after coming in at No 7.
And fellow wicketkeeper Prior told Sky Sports that England must hold the Taunton-born player back so that he can “wreak havoc” in the closing stages of ODI innings.
“I rate him very highly, especially in one-day cricket,” Prior said of Buttler, who recently crunched a match-winning 55 during England’s win over Sri Lanka in the third ODI in Hambantota.
“He is the finisher that England want and need in the engine room of the batting line-up – he has shown that with his 60s and 70s off 30 and 40 balls towards the end of an innings.
“His temperament is phenomenal and when he walks out to bat he knows exactly the job in hand. That is something he thrives on and some of the shots he can play, like the sixes out of nowhere, are incredible.
“You want a player of Jos’ ability to be in the situation that suits him best and, for me, that is in the last 10 or 15 overs.
“He can wreak havoc in that period so you don’t want him in too early playing that rebuilding role when we’ve got players like Ravi Bopara who can go in and do that.”
Support
Buttler has snaffled 54 catches and six stumpings in his 42 ODIs to date and Prior, who is currently rehabbing from Achilles surgery, has been impressed with the youngster’s development with the mitts under the tutelage of renowned wicketkeeping sage Bruce French.
“As a ‘keeper he is consistently improving,” said Prior. “You only get better as a ‘keeper by catching balls – the more you catch, the slicker you become – and that’s what Jos is doing.
“Bruce (French), who I admire massively and believe is the best wicketkeeping coach in the world, will keep an eye on Jos and work him hard, I know that much.
“But Peter Moores, another former ‘keeper, is also there, so Buttler has plenty of support and everything at his disposal to push on.
“I don’t think he is the finished article right now – I think he will admit that himself – but he works very hard and I think he could become very, very good.”
Rhythm
Prior, who is halfway through a six-month recovery process and hopes to be fit to play a part in Sussex’s pre-season trip to Dubai in March, won the most recent of his 68 ODI caps against Sri Lanka in 2011.
The right-hander found international one-day cricket harder to attune to than Tests, with his batting average of 24.18 paling in comparison to his five-day figure of 40.18.
Prior classes his ODI career as “disappointing” but believes England may have got more out of him if he had been handed a regular spot in the upper middle order, rather than as a bludgeoning opener or lower-order smacker.
“I would say my one-day career has been disappointing and that’s a shame,” added the 32-year-old, who has collected just three fifties in his 62 ODI innings, with a top knock of 87 while batting at No 3 against West Indies at Edgbaston in 2009.
“When I started I was always a far better one-day cricketer than I was a longer-form cricketer, but I never quite got my role right or my rhythm right in one-day international cricket.
“The role of opening up and going at it from ball one suited me to an extent and was initially where I thought I played best, but then I struggled to rein it in and score big innings.
“I got off to a lot of good starts but then pushed too hard and got out, rather than putting in that real telling contribution and getting that 120 or 130 that won the game.
“Coming in at six or seven and hitting yorkers for six wasn’t really my game either and as my best way of playing one-day cricket is to manoeuvre the ball around, build an innings and then catch up at the end, I think three or four would have suited me best.”
