Jos Buttler, the England wicketkeeper, insists no matter how poor the team’s performance has been in the fifth Test, it cannot detract from the fact that they will be celebrating an Ashes victory come today’s expected conclusion to the series.
Buttler will resume in the morning on 33 with England sitting 203 for six in their second innings following on and trailing by 129 runs after Alastair Cook’s defiant 85, scored over five-and-a-half hours, was ended late on the third day.
The grim match situation means only two days of rain – or a freak turnaround in the spirit of Ian Botham and Graham Dilley at Headingley in 1981 – can prevent Australia claiming a face-saving victory in the dead rubber that would see England win 3-2. Either way, Cook’s men see it as mission accomplished.
“This Test has had a different feel to it,” said Buttler. “Maybe we got caught up in looking to win the series 4-1 rather than focusing on what we have done well to get the end results. It’s disappointing but we have won the Ashes and no one take that away from us, no matter how badly we played in this game.”
Cook’s dismissal, caught at short leg off the part-time leg-spin of Steve Smith two overs before the close, means Buttler will start out alongside the nightwatchman, Mark Wood, who has yet to score. After their 149 all out in the first innings, Buttler believes some fight has at least been shown in an otherwise one-sided Test. “The Great British weather may give us a bit of help but to lose Alastair at the end of the day was very disappointing,” he said.
“We started the day saying we wanted to show some fight and the captain led from the front. It was backs against the wall but any time you put on an England shirt you scrap and we will do that to the end.”
Already sitting on his highest score of the series, Buttler said his personal returns with the bat have not been up to scratch and he offered words of support for opener Adam Lyth, whose 10 in the second innings looks set to mean his England career will be halted after seven Tests.
“I’ve had a very poor series, there is no getting away from that,’ he said. “But today was about trying to scrap and stay in there – not playing my natural way, which is attacking, but just to stay at the crease. If I’m going to be successful in Test cricket I’m going to have to do that.”
“[Lyth] is disappointed but everyone in the dressing room knows what a good player he is. Opening the batting is a tough job and he’s had two tough sides to do it against this summer in New Zealand and Australia. Just like myself, he will be disappointed with the runs tally.”
