The wonderful and woeful of England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler were again on display during the fourth day of the second Ashes Test.
The gloveman added to his highlights reel when he snared a Marcus Harris nick early in the day, diving to his left at full stretch and completing a spectacular one-handed effort, the opener batter out for 23 from 66.
But Buttler then turfed a nick from Steve Smith on the first ball of the stand-in captain’s innings, diving too far to his right as the ball smacked into his wrist.
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The tourist dusted himself off and ensured he didn’t give Smith another chance, diving low to his left at full stretch and pouching another magnificent one-handed catch.
Buttler’s jumbled afternoon followed his mixed work behind the stumps during the first innings of the Adelaide Oval Test, in which he took an exceptional catch to remove Harris but twice reprieved Marnus Labuschagne with ugly drops. The second was particularly bad.
Moments after Buttler took a brilliant catch to send Harris walking on the fourth day, former Australia wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist labelled the Englishman’s match an “emotional rollercoaster” on the Fox Cricket broadcast.
“That is a very good catch,” Gilchrist added.
“The smiles, the high-fives. Well done. That’ll do his confidence the world of good. That’s a terrific catch. What a ride he’s on.”
Former Australia quick Brett Lee was dumbfounded when Buttler failed to swallow a nick from Smith.
“I can’t believe Jos Buttler’s dropped that,” Lee said.
“I don’t even think it’s hit his hand; I think it’s hit him in the wrist. Just on the palm of the hand.
“Jos doesn’t get a proper glove (on it), it gets him quite high and look at the frustration.”
British comedian Andy Zaltzman summed up Buttler’s game perfectly.
https://twitter.com/ZaltzCricket/status/1472430320788008960
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