T20 World Cup: Jos Buttler’s greatest strength is his adaptability, says his first team coach

Jos Buttler was the first player to achieve a century in three formats for England on Monday in international men’s cricket. Forty-eight hours after his 32 balls 71 He pushed England to victory Across Australia in Dubai, Buttler’s 67-ball century he secured a place in the finals. Over the course of 20 overs, he was the England opener, anchor and destination.

Phil Lewis, Sports Director at King’s College Taunton – Buttler’s alma mater – was the coach of Buttler’s first team for a couple of years and is delighted to see a former student make great strides in international cricket.

Sportsstar He caught up with Lewis, who recalled Buttler’s early years at school, what set him apart and more.

Abstracts

Q. Did you get to see his fabric against Sri Lanka at Monday’s World Cup?

A. Yes I always try to find time to watch Jos and our other major players on TV. I actually saw him in a pub with some friends after a round of golf!

Jos was really typical. His ability to set the right timing is, among his power and dynamism, his greatest value as a batsman. They would say that many of the armchairs started slowly, but it was a big part of the assessment of the pitch and knowing that his patience and confidence could go up to a strike rate of over 150 under a ball. tickets. His greatest strength is his versatility and this inning was a classic example of how the introduction of a batsman who has never been developed was so many variables in the game. When he got the six, my celebration was exaggerated considering I was in a quiet pub in Minehead (a town in West Somerset), but I know how much these milestones mean to Joseph, even if he belongs to a team player.

Can you tell us what kind of child Jos was at the time?

Jos was a well-known, intelligent and talented young man. He didn’t just stand out in cricket. He was a great multi-sport player who progressed when he played in anything competitive. There was no such thing as “friendly”. He wanted to win everything he did and succeed. He also did very well in the GCSE and A-levels, even though he was doing the final exams with us, he was playing first team county cricket all over the country. There is certainly no silence. He will be among the funniest when it happens, but he will also be one of the consistent voices in the locker room. He is always ready to laugh and make jokes, he has a great mood, but he was also always ready to learn, listen and work hard when needed. The balance is crucial and he got it right and he still does!

What was his game like? Did he start as an aggressive batsman?

He never wanted to command, but he also always had the ability, the power, the skill, and the will to take the risk, that allowed him to do that. He was so competitive and ready to improve and succeed where there was always that balance of risk and reward that top players always responded to. He was that top player!

We weren’t such a strong team at the time, but they played a big part in a year to get to the school’s T20 quarterfinals. We saw less of him last season as he played full time in Somerset, but every time he played with us he did something exciting.

When did you first see it? And did he have to deal with gaps in his game?

The first time I saw Jos, I was training at a rival school but luckily the next year I got a job at King’s and ended up at King’s in the last few years. Yes, absolutely, like all young players, he was still learning a lot about what he was capable of. Technically, he was always a little orthodox, but the basics of standing still worked very well, the flow of the bat and the late playing of the ball were pretty good.

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However, most of his development was what we call his game management or his R&R (risk and reward). As an example, he would break a six-by-six and a four from the first three balls of the over and instead of settling for what was already a big up, he would try too hard for a shot instead of taking a less risky chance. But that’s how players learn and you see what they’re doing now and even though it’s a big, aggressive risk, there’s a lot of measurement, calculation and method in what they’re doing.

His teenage cricket years as a teenager allowed him to continue to be the aggressive and dynamic batsman you see today, but as his fabric showed yesterday, those years allowed him to develop into one of the best single-day players of all time. Many coaches and parents prioritize winning and consistency in experimentation, risk-taking, unorthodoxy, and aggression at a young age, and Jos helped everyone around him to flourish as a player.

Any special anecdotes that come to mind from his school days?

I actually remember going on a football tour of Spain where Jos was a participant. I remember he was playing in the middle of the field against a juvenile team from the Villarreal academy. We completely eliminated it 15-0. Jose barely touched the ball but you could see from that experience how much he gained from the player seeing how hard, how focused and ruthless they were. He didn’t see this as a negative experience, he absorbed it in a positive one even though it hurt from the outside.

The multi-sport experiences he had during school have now defined him as a cricketer and this tour was a wonderful example of that (by the way even a football player!).

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I remember coming to me crying after an inning when I was trapped on the border in a big cup game. The opposition gave him a tremendous knockout. He asked me what he should do and I just told him you can’t change the past. Take the submission as a compliment and use it to define each game and experience as a player. Another day that ball comes out of the middle and crosses the line and everyone is clapping as they hit a six in addition to the cover (unknown to the school boys!). There are a lot of ups and downs in cricket and the more levels there are the better.

What do you think of his game now?

There are still many similarities that existed between us. Gross power, competitiveness, aggression and confidence to act differently and be unpredictable. However, his experience and knowledge are amazing now. He has played all over the world in a pressure cooker in a variety of environments and what we forget is how raw and focused international cricket can be. That’s why I think it’s a lot of fun to watch, as well as being a complete mental rock and great team player.

The amazing thing is that he continues to work as hard as ever in his game. He recently returned to King to train. I was training three students on our backs and we were there for about six hours. Jos was there inserting it at the same time! I still don’t think we’ve seen the best of him and I hope England continue to open up with him not only in the T20s but also in the ODIs.