England’s white-ball stalwart Jos Buttler may be approaching the twilight of his glittering international career, according to former fast bowler Steve Harmison, but he insists the player has earned the right to determine his own future.
Buttler, 35, widely regarded as the country’s finest ever white-ball batter, struggled badly during England’s run to the T20 World Cup semi-finals, managing just 87 runs across eight innings and failing to hit his usual destructive form.
Despite stepping down as limited-overs captain just over a year ago after a series of disappointing tournament results, Buttler was instrumental in England’s 2019 50-over World Cup victory and led the team to T20 glory in Australia three years later.
With the next major trophy, the 2027 World Cup in South Africa, on the horizon, Harmison suggests Buttler must now confront a significant decision.
“I think Jos deserves the right to think, ‘have I got one more cycle in me, to get through to another tournament?’,” Harmison told talkSPORT.
“Only Jos can answer that and he should be allowed to do that. But I just look at Jos and I’m not sure he’s enjoying playing cricket for England at the moment.”
Harmison elaborated on the dilemma facing the veteran: “If his heart is in it and he wants to continue playing for England, then I think he plays again.
“If the candle is just flickering and it’s not quite there – which it doesn’t seem to have been from an enjoyment factor for the last year or so, then maybe it is time for Jos to say, ‘I’ve given my time, given everything for England, I’ve been England’s best ever white-ball player and it’s now time for someone else to take over’.”
He concluded: “He needs to look at himself in the mirror and say, ‘do I really want to carry on playing international cricket’? If he says, ‘I do’ then he keeps on for me. It’s just whether the ups and downs have taken that effect.”
Should Buttler opt to step away from international cricket and pursue a career solely on the franchise circuit, he would leave as England’s most capped cricketer across all formats, with 411 appearances.
His remarkable statistics include being the country’s record T20 run-scorer with 4,037 runs, and ranking third on the ODI list with 5,515.
