Moores hints at Buttler Test call-up

Cricket365
June 3, 2014

England head coach Peter Moores has changed the script regarding wicketkeeper Jos Buttler's Test future, saying the Lancashire player could well get a Test call-up to face Sri Lanka this month.

Earlier in the week, skipper Alastair Cook had deemed Buttler too inexperienced for the five-day game, and Buttler agreed, saying had a lot of work to do. But with Matt Prior still recovering and short of game time, Moores backtracked.

The coach said that no-player was ever fully ready to make the step up to Tests, and that sometimes a risk had to be take. And with Buttler's astonishing century in the fourth ODI against Sri Lanka, calls for his inclusion have gotten louder.

Moores said: "When you look back in history, not every player is perfectly ready when they play. Sometimes they develop in the formats which they go to.

"I think Jos would quite rightly say, 'I'm not the finished article' and he wouldn't be – not many people are. The key is whether it is the right time to introduce him to Test cricket.

"Obviously Jos has been talked about a lot and how he played the other day hasn't done him any harm – it was a fantastic innings.

"If Matt's fit he's a very strong contender. Jos is improving quickly and I thought he kept well so he has certainly pushed his name forward.

"I don't think you want to be set in stone and you never want to put ceilings on people. People do have moves. He's improving and it was great to see him play like that.

"If that's enough to get into the Test team, then we'll sit down and talk about it."