sport news What new England white-ball captain Jos Buttler MUST do as he prepares to face ... trends now
Jos Buttler opens his England captaincy era at the Ageas Bowl on Thursday as the white-ball section of this international summer takes over from a month of breathless Test cricket.
The Twenty20 series against India certainly has something to live up to but also represents the first three of 16 T20 internationals England will play across three continents ahead of October's World Cup in Australia.
The clashes with India take place without Test captain Ben Stokes and the man-of-the-moment Jonny Bairstow, who are resting, but nevertheless provide Buttler and England's new white-ball coach Matthew Mott with opportunities to fine-tune things in their bid to improve on last year's semi-final exit to New Zealand in the UAE.
Here, Sportsmail's Richard Gibson examines the most urgent issues in Buttler's in-tray after succeeding Eoin Morgan following his retirement.
Jos Buttler (above) opens his England white-ball captaincy era at the Ageas Bowl on Thursday
Buttler is stepping in after the sudden retirement of his predecessor, Irish-born Eoin Morgan
DEATH BOWLING
Not helped by the absence of the injured Jofra Archer, their go-to-man at the end of innings, England have leaked runs at an alarming rate over the past 18 months.
In fact, by the end of their most recent series in the Caribbean in January, they were officially the world's worst death bowling team, trailing the likes of Namibia, Scotland and Zimbabwe after leaking in excess of 11 runs per over on average for the final four overs of matches stretching back to the start of 2021.
In addition to Archer, Saqib Mahmood, one of those who suffered at the hands of West Indies at the start of the year, Mark Wood and Chris Woakes - recalled to the T20 side last summer following a six-year absence - are also out injured.
So, England have done something different. They have turned to Lancashire's uncapped Richard Gleeson, a 34-year-old late developer who specialises in hitting the block hole when the pressure is on.
The gifted wicketkeeper-batter will lead England in a three-match T20 series against India
Bowler Richard Gleeson (pictured), 34, has been called up to fix England's poor death bowling
Twice in televised Roses games over recent weeks, he displayed his skills to a wider audience, helping steal a tie and then
