Jos Buttler faces a selection conundrum ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup as a result of England Test skipper Ben Stokes' return to the T20I setup. The white-ball captain wants to start the charismatic all-rounder at the top of the order but is aware that doing so could lead to an imbalance in the bowling department on bouncey Australian pitches.
Buttler was cited by the ICC on Tuesday as stating, "He (Stokes) is someone we want to attempt to give as much opportunity to impact the game as possible, try to get him up the order as high as we can. To get the most out of him, "we're hoping to give him as much responsibility as possible and let him play his way."
According to England's white-ball coach Matthew Mott, Stokes might be placed at No. 4 with Dawid Malan nearly set to bat at No. 3 and Alex Hales likely to partner Buttler at the top of the batting order. Buttler has said that if the openers get off to a great start, Stokes might even be brought in before Malan.
However, Stokes at No. 4 or No. 3 might cause England a significant selection problem. Prior to the warm-up games against Australia and Pakistan here, the Test captain has not participated in a T20 fixture for the better part of two years. He has also scarcely appeared in domestic and franchise events during this time.
Additionally, Stokes' performance in T20Is for the nation isn't very impressive; part of this is because he has so far batted down in the order. Stokes, who played at number three, smashed 36 off 18 deliveries in the final exhibition match against Pakistan, thus Buttler and the team management will undoubtedly choose to start him.
Buttler had commented earlier this month that Ben is a superstar and a player you want on the club. The anticipation of his return is great.
However, England may have to make difficult selection decisions as a result of his position at the top of the batting order. A frontline bowler will need to be withdrawn or another of the top six, all of whom have very good claims, in order for Liam Livingstone to be included in the team. However, after making his comeback from injury, the batsman crushed 28 from 16 against Pakistan.
England's batting lineup would be quite powerful if Stokes was selected at position four and Livingstone at position seven. But on pitches that won't always support spin, Buttler would still require Stokes, Livingstone, and Moeen Ali to bowl at least four overs, which is not ideal.