Ben Stokes backs Jos Buttler to bounce back if dropped by England
Friday 30 October 2015 19:07, UK
Ben Stokes feels Jos Buttler could come back a better player if he is rested for England's final Test against Pakistan in Sharjah.
Buttler has struggled on the tour of the United Arab Emirates so far, scoring 34 runs in four innings and dropping a couple of vital catches behind the stumps.
There has been talk that Jonny Bairstow might replace Buttler as wicketkeeper for the final Test, which starts on Sunday, with James Taylor or Samit Patel coming in as an additional batsman or all-rounder respectively.
Bairstow had a wicket-keeping practice session before Buttler on Friday, another possible indicator that the former Somerset man could be given a break.
Stokes has experience of being taken out of the line of fire, having been omitted from the World Cup squad last winter and, although he admitted it is tough to accept, he conceded it might be for the best.
"If the decision comes to leave Jos out, then he is not a bloke to dwell on it too much," Stokes said. "He will go away and work as hard as he always does on all aspects of his game from batting to keeping.
"I've been in the same position as he has before, and it's not a nice place to be, but everything comes around and eventually you do find form. You've just got to keep working hard in practice.
"If it does end up with him not playing then the time off might do him some well because he's hard a very, very long summer."
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