July 25, 2014

Buttler excited for dream Test debut

Buttler is already a mainstay in the shorter format.

Jos Buttler has described his England Test call-up as a dream come true as he is set to make his bow for his country this weekend.

The explosive wicketkeeper batsman will make his debut in the third Test against India at Southampton's Ageas Bowl on Sunday just months after switching counties to play for Lancashire with an aim of being a front-line keeper at international level in all-forms of the game.

The 23-year-old moved from Somerset in the winter and his decision has quickly paid off with a Test call-up after Matt Prior announced he was to take a break from cricket to recover from a number of injuries.

Speaking ahead of arriving at the team hotel on the south coast, Buttler told GiveMeSport he is eager to be handed his Test cap on Sunday.

"I'm sure it won't sink in until I meet up with everyone and Sunday morning comes,” said Buttler. “Obviously, I'm really excited and nervous as well, but that's to be expected. I can't wait for it to be Sunday now.

"It's been a long goal and ambition. It's probably come sooner than I  imagined as well, which is great for me. It shows that I've been going  in the right direction and improving fast, which I feel I've done this  year at Lancashire.

"I still feel like I've got improvements to make, but it's great that I've been named in the squad. I can't wait to get started."

The Taunton-born 23-year-old added: "It was a really tough decision to  leave Somerset, who helped me a lot, but with my long-term goal being  Test cricket, I knew I had to. I guess it's justified it, and it's  justified it pretty quickly.

"I didn't expect to be playing Test cricket this quickly, but in sport  opportunities come in different ways and at different times, and I'm delighted."

Buttler has enjoyed good form in both T20 and County Championship cricket this term.

"I've been steadily improving since the start of last season and this season's been even better," he said.

"It's probably taken me a bit of time to work out four-day cricket because I now feel like I've got a lot of shots I can play, but you don't necessarily need to play them all in a Championship game. I've matured a lot in the last six to 12 months, and moving clubs has helped me do  that and maybe even forced me to do that. That's probably been reflected in my cricket."

England trail the five-match series 1-0, while Buttler is now also set to play  in the fourth Test on home turf at Emirates Old Trafford on August 7.

"What a great opportunity it is for us to turn the series around. If we can do it, it would be a brilliant series and much-talked about  one. Everyone's got the chance to do that. We've had some match-winning  chances so far. Sport's such a fine line and can turn around very  quickly. Everyone will know that and will be believing in that."

Jos is represented by International Sports Management.

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