Jos Buttler apologises after ‘knobhead’ jibe at Vernon Philander

Jos Buttler, the England wicketkeeper, has made an apology after hurling abuses at South Africa’s Vernon Philander. In the second Test at the Newlands in Cape Town, Buttler called Philander ‘a f*****g knobhead’ when the latter came to bat in the dying stages of the fifth day. His behavior didn’t go down well with many, including the renowned Harsha Bhogle, who called it a ‘pity’.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) slapped the Somerset-born Buttler with 15 per cent fine of his match fees and also handed him a demerit point. The 29-year-old Englishman admitted that he didn’t behave in the right manner and it took place in the ‘heat of the moment’.

I’ll take the slap on the wrist: Jos Buttler

“I fully understand the role-models may have a duty to behave in a certain way. And I would like to apologise and understand that that’s not the way to behave. I’ll take the slap on the wrist and move. It happened in the heat of the moment. It’s all done and can be swept under the carpet,” Buttler was quoted as saying on Test Match Special.

In the last few months, there have been talks over whether or not stump mics should be used during live telecast. The same questions were raised when India toured Australia a year ago. Throwing light on the same, Buttler stated that he wouldn’t want the usage of stump mics.

“Potentially yes, I have seen in Test cricket, there’s a lot of high emotions and things can be said that players may not mean. But obviously, for viewers at home, it can come across poorly. We understand that it adds to the viewership experience, having stump mics. But the players like the fact that what goes on the field should stay on the field,” he added.

Parking aside the controversies, Buttler hasn’t had the greatest of times either. He has had scores of 22, 12, 29 and 23. The four-match Test series is currently level at 1-1 with the visitors winning the Newlands Test by 189 runs. The third and penultimate game gets underway on Thursday, January 16 at the St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth.