2 Comments

This man, Mark Garaway, his coach as a teenager, has so much to answer for:

"I asked Jos to start keeping wicket as well as batting. Jos initially was reluctant, didn't want to risk his fingers and we had a number of 'grumpy' sessions.

Over time, Jos saw some merit in what we were asking him to do and he started to keep wicket with a smile on his face.

Or at least a grudging grimace.

These humps were vital to his development and show that success is never a smooth path."

https://www.pitchvision.com/the-buttler-factor-how-extreme-talent-identifies-itself

And that's how Somerset ended up losing this extraordinary batting talent, and how England ended up in the extraordinary mess you describe.

Expand full comment

It's incredible how many players are asked/forced/convinced to be keepers, but so many of them never master it because it's not the thing they love.

Expand full comment