White-ball captain Buttler has featured in 106 of his last 108 T20 internationals, fielding only the two matches that took place in Trinidad during England’s previous tour of the Caribbean in December 2023.
“It’s not something I’ve done much for England recently,” Salt said in Barbados before the third ODI. “But I enjoy keeping it. I feel like that’s where I offer the most.”
Salt remained in 13 of his 59 games for England across all formats and was handed the gloves in this current ODI series ahead of Jordan Cox, who will replace Test wicket-keeper Jamie Smith for the upcoming series in New Zealand.
At the time, Buttler said: “I was going to give up the gloves and commit to being halfway there and see how it felt. If that helps me with my captaincy, that’s something I’m open to.”
Butler arrived in the Caribbean on Sunday and trained at Kensington Oval on Monday. He is not available for selection for the decisive ODI on Wednesday and will resume captaincy duties ahead of the five-match T20I series starting on Saturday, making his first appearance since England’s defeat in the T20 World Cup semi-final in June. Essex batsman and wicketkeeper Michael Pepper, originally only selected for the ODI team, has been added to the T20 squad and will remain with the group for the remainder of the tour.
On whether his decision to stay is a long-term decision, Salt said: “We haven’t had that conversation about anything in the future. I’m just happy to do it at the moment.”
Salt posted scores of 18 and 59 in the first two ODIs, and his half-century helped set up England’s chase of 329 to tie the series in the second game in Antigua.
“When someone is at their best, they are aggressive and intelligent,” he said. “They go together; they have to go together if you want to be successful in white-ball cricket.
“I know I could have gotten more runs. I think, for me, the question is how to reduce the strike rate and increase the average… by lengthening my innings and extending the partnerships. Those are two of the most important things in the cricket for over 50s.”
The ODI series against Australia in September was Salt’s first taste of 50-over cricket since the tour of the Caribbean in December last year. With the Hundred being played at the same time as the One-Day Cup during the English summer, many of England’s new generation of white players have little List A experience, and Salt explains the difficulty of re-adapting to the required pace.
“I don’t think there are many players in this team that you can walk past and say ‘oh, they’re doing a great job at the moment’. That’s the reality because we haven’t played much 50-over cricket.
“I would love something like a national over-50 competition. I would love to have the opportunity to play in that so you can get the rhythm and it’s not always stop and start. But that’s what we have. As a player, I have to adapt.”
