Jos Buttler praises Dom Bess after debut fifty

While this has been a tough three days for England, an undoubted positive has been the batting of Jos Buttler. Many would have considered his selection to this side something of gamble, with Buttler last having played first-class cricket in September 2017. He has gone some way in proving those doubters wrong.

But for Buttler’s 66*, England could well have lost by an innings on the third day. Thanks to his runs, and his partnership with Dominic Bess, England still have a theoretical chance of getting something out of this Test.

At the close of play Buttler spoke about his innings and batting with Bess who made a half-century on debut. “It was great to spend time in the middle with a fellow west-country boy. We just wanted to scrap hard and get ourselves back in the game, [get] any lead and just try and keep extending it, and you never know," he said.

Speaking about how Bess batted, Buttler compared him to his captain after the young debutant reached the close on 55 not from 101 balls. “Joe Root walked back out with his cover drives and back foot punches! He is a confident boy and he is a real scraper and a real fighter, and he has got some great character and he really showed that.”

When asked about his approach to Test matches having been playing Twenty20 cricket at the Indian Premier League, Buttler said it was about staying positive. “I just wanted to be busy. They bowled very well all Test match and I just wanted to try and get off strike. That was my mentality, and get ones and twos where I could and try and put them off their lengths a little bit.

“As I said before the match, just trying not to think about the colour of the ball. But, of course, the situation dictates how you play, you are trying to react to that a little bit and it was just nice to spend some time in the middle and build that confidence. As we mentioned in the dressing room, it is quite a hard wicket to start on, if you can get yourself through that initial period it tends to get easier.”

England find themselves in a very difficult position in this match, effectively 56/6 in their second innings.

When asked about how England have performed in this match so far, Buttler admitted that his team haven’t been good enough. “I thought we have been poor for large parts of the game, First innings, of course, it did a little bit, but we are well behind where we are capable of getting to," he said. "I thought with the ball we bowled pretty well but without luck and maybe we could have been a bit more clinical with our fielding. We just have to keep scraping, a lead of 56, if we just keep extending that you never know how the game is going to pan out with runs on the board.”

Tomorrow will see Buttler and Bess resume their partnership and it will be up to them to set Pakistan a total that can give England a chance to finish this match with anything other than a defeat. The home side will need more of the same in the first session of the fourth day.