South Africa tour: England players Jos Buttler and James Taylor await Test call after one-day heroics
Unbroken century stand against Pakistan mean both are near certain selections
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Your support makes all the difference.England’s six-wicket win over Pakistan here on Tuesday featured a clutch of heartening performances from players hoping to travel onwards for the Test tour of South Africa next month.
The success means England are on course for a one-day series victory over Pakistan in alien conditions. They are 2-1 up with just one match to play, in Dubai on Friday.
Before then, though, they will all discover the identities of those set to take on the world’s No 1 Test team over Christmas and the new year.
England will name a squad of either 16 or 17 players on Thursday – and in various measures James Taylor, Jos Buttler and Chris Woakes’ contributions to the defeat of Pakistan on Tuesday can have done their Test aspirations no harm.
Taylor and Buttler, who shared an unbroken century stand as England chased 208 to win with nine overs to spare, are both near certain selections anyway. But they can draw extra encouragement from their respective, unbeaten innings of 67 and 49 – Buttler’s a much-needed return to form after his run of miserable scores in all formats, and being dropped as Test wicketkeeper for the final match of the series defeat against Pakistan here.
Captain Eoin Morgan was full of praise for their efforts. “The chase was exceptional,” he said. “The manner in which they played was probably the biggest step we’ve had forward on this tour so far. In previous tours, when you’re presented with a challenge, you sometimes fall short to start with – and then need to make a mistake in order to learn.”
Taylor and Buttler were exemplary, while Woakes is likely to be back in the Test reckoning as an extra seamer with injuries preventing Mark Wood and Steven Finn from going on the tour, although Ben Stokes is fit.
Woakes has put a fallow period behind him with successive four-wicket hauls in the last two ODIs to help England to win each match.
Morgan added: “I thought we were outstanding in all facets. The attitude we showed to dig in and show resilience is one of the things I’m really proud of. Considering we’re a young side lacking a bit of experience, it says a great deal about the progress we are making at the moment.”
PA
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