Fearless Jos Buttler looks to “embrace the Ashes opportunity”

England wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler may not have played a First-Class match in Australia, but he’s looking forward to embracing the Ashes opportunity.

In the two Ashes series he has played in England, Jos Buttler has 369 runs at a dismal average of 20.5, registering one 50+ score from 18 innings.

He has now joined the full squad in Brisbane and a warm-up looks unlikely due to rain.

Jos Buttler said:

“I feel like I have nothing to lose, to be honest. It’s sort of been disjointed, that [year] just gone. Some good form and some bad form and in the year before as well. It’s the first time I’m experiencing an Ashes series [in Australia], so I’m fully determined to enjoy all the challenges that it throws up. I’m excited to experience it, the good, the bad, and I’m sure the highs and lows along the way."

“As a player at the minute, I’m trying to bring a fearless approach and to truly try and embrace the opportunity. I know when I get to somewhere near my best, that’s going to be pretty good,” Jos Buttler told reporters, as per ESPNCricinfo.

Though Jos Buttler was brilliant in the 2021 T20 World Cup, his red ball success has been limited this calendar year. In the six Tests that the England star has played in 2021, he has scored 257 runs at an average of 28.55, managing to cross the fifty mark only once.

Jos Buttler banks on experience to excel in Australia

Making his Test debut against India in 2014, Jos Buttler has played 53 Tests for England, scoring 2,800 runs at an average of 33.33, registering two centuries. For a cricketer of his stature, he has certainly underachieved in the longer format.

On adapting to the English conditions, Jos Buttler states that he will bank on his experience to know what to expect.

“Familiarity with some conditions is something I can dip into and hopefully not be surprised by. But I think the challenge always as a player is to adapt to any conditions that are in front of you and adapt quickly," he said.

“The practice, when you can practice, is incredibly important for that, and your first five, 10 balls are vital as a player to understanding the conditions and playing accordingly. But certainly, I will try to dip into that experience, and I’m in my early 30s now, so played quite a bit of cricket and hopefully know what to expect,” Jos Buttler added.

The first Ashes Test will start in Brisbane on December 8.