England skipper Jos Buttler was straight into his work after having arrived in the Caribbean for the five-match T20 series. Buttler will be in action for the first time since the T20 World Cup after recovering from a persistent calf injury that he struggled with for the last four months. Despite Buttler's return, his opening partner in the shortest format, Phil Salt, will keep the wickets. Salt, who has shored up the keeping duties in the ongoing ODI series against the West Indies reckoned that it is an area where he offers the most to this England white-ball team.
"It's not something I've done a lot for England recently," Salt was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo in Barbados ahead of the third ODI. "But I enjoy keeping. I feel like that's where I offer most to the side."
Salt didn't keep in the ODIs against Australia with Jamie Smith in the side. However, since the West Indies ODIs had a very short turnaround after the Pakistan Test series, Salt was back behind the stumps ahead of Jordan Cox, who is set to fill in for Smith in the New Zealand Test series.
Buttler had mentioned during an interaction on Sky Sports in September that if it helps his captaincy and the team, he was open to giving up keeping. "I was going to give up the gloves and commit to being at mid-off and see how that felt. If it will help me with my captaincy it is something I am open to."
Buttler hadn't fully recovered before the ODI series and hence Liam Livingstone was handed the reigns and it seems the hard-hitting all-rounder has taken to the responsibility like fish to water. After England lost the series opener in Antigua, Livingstone probably played the knock of a lifetime as he stayed unbeaten smashing a century in a successful run-chase of 329 runs.
The series stood levelled at 1-1 with the decider to take place in Barbados on November 6. The T20Is kick off on November 9 in Barbados before moving to Saint Lucia for the last three matches.
