'I'm very aware I didn't keep well' - Jos Buttler fears he might have played his last Test for England

In a thrilling end, hosts England clinched a three-wicket triumph against Pakistan at Old Trafford to go 1-0 up in the three-Test series. The Joe Root-led side slumped to 117-5 chasing a stiff target of 277. However, a sixth-wicket stand of 139 between Jos Buttler and Chris Woakes turned the tables in England’s favour.

Buttler made 75 on his Lancashire home ground and Woakes remained unbeaten on 84 as England clinched the victory. However, England might not have been chasing so many runs if Buttler hadn’t dropped Shan Masood and then missed a chance to stump him when the opener was on 45 during Pakistan’s first innings.

Masood, after being given the lifeline, went on to amass 156 to help Pakistan establish a lead of over a hundred runs. Buttler’s wicketkeeping skills in the longest format has been a topic of debate for a while. The wicketkeeper, after England’s triumph, admitted that he didn’t perform well behind the stumps. He even thought that he may have played his last Test after his poor display of glovework.

“I’m quite proud, if I take those chances, we’d have won two hours ago,” Buttler told reporters as quoted by NDTV. “I’m very aware I didn’t keep well, I missed some chances and at this level, you can’t afford to do that, no matter how many runs you score. Thoughts go through your head that if I don’t score any runs, I’ve maybe played my last game.
But you have to shut those out and go and play your game,” he added.

We tried to break it down into a bit of a one-day chase: Jos Buttler

Both Buttler and Woakes were members of the England side that won the 50-over World Cup last year by defeating New Zealand in the Super Over on the rule of boundary count. Buttler said that the duo tried to break it down into a one-day chase.

“We tried to break it down into a bit of a one-day chase, and scored at four an over, to take the second new ball out of the equation. We got some nice momentum going and had a good partnership,” said Buttler.

Buttler was also having to contend with the fact that his father had been admitted to hospital on Friday, although he has since been discharged. England skipper Joe Root also lauded Buttler for delivering a key knock in difficult circumstances. When Buttler was dismissed, England still needed 21 more runs to win and it was Woakes who rose to the occasion.

“It says a huge amount about him as a person to carry all of that and be able to either use it, or park it. Only he will know which way he did that,” said Root. “It shows how mentally strong he is more than anything, but also how skilful. One of Jos’ big traits is when he’s under pressure he puts in big performances. He can deal with high-pressure,” added the captain.

England’s victory against Pakistan saw them halt a run of five successive defeats in the first Test of a series. The hosts will now face the Azhar Ali-led side in the second clash at Southampton, starting from 13th August.