Q&A: Is Jos Buttler the right man for England white-ball captaincy?

Jos Buttler has been entrusted with carrying England’s white-ball sides to greater heights after succeeding World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the outstanding issues as Buttler steps up from his position as deputy to take permanent control for the first time in a Twenty20 series against India next week.

A shrewd thinker, Morgan seemed unflappable even in the tightest moments. He was a unifying force, loyal and compassionate towards his team-mates, and arguably the finest cricket captain of his era. His leadership will, of course, be missed. But his future has been in question since he presided over the historic 2019 World Cup win, so England cannot say his retirement came out of the blue.

While Moeen Ali makes a persuasive case having led Worcestershire to the 2018 T20 Blast title and Birmingham Bears to The Hundred final last year, he is not a dead cert on the team sheet. Buttler is. As understudy to Morgan, Buttler has skippered England in nine one-day internationals and five Twenty20s and, like his predecessor, seems to possess a level-headed disposition in pressure scenarios.

As this season’s most valuable player and leading run-scorer in the Indian Premier League, Buttler has a strong claim to be regarded as the best white-ball batter in the world right now. That certainly cannot be compromised, but the early omens are good. In the nine ODIs he has skippered England, Buttler’s average rises to 48.14 from a career 41.2 in 151 matches, with similar strike-rates.

While the Test team needed major surgery after a poor winter, England are trailblazers in ODIs and T20s, second in the International Cricket Council rankings in both and 50-over world champions. Buttler was a