Friday 14 October 2016 06:43, UK
England assistant coach Paul Farbrace says Jos Buttler is playing well enough to return to Test cricket as a specialist batsman.
Buttler is a fixture in England's limited overs sides and captained the squad to a 2-1 series win in the one-day internationals against Bangladesh.
However he was dropped from the Test XI last November after a poor run of form with the bat and Jonny Bairstow has gone on to nail down the role of Test wicket-keeper.
But Buttler is in the Test squad for Bangladesh as Bairstow's deputy and Farbrace thinks his assured batting in the ODIs could help him secure one of the vacant places in the middle order.
"The way he has batted out here, he has looked like he's been batting on different pitches," said Farbrace.
"If he can play that way in red-ball cricket, there's no reason he shouldn't be seen as a batter.
"He's on this trip as the second 'keeper to start with but, if he gets an opportunity and plays that way again, there is no reason he can't get back into the side.
"He's shown real maturity with the bat and looked high quality."
Buttler, who has 15 Test caps to his name, made 63, 57 and 25 in the one-day series, helping England recover from 26-4 in the second match with a classy knock.
With Test captain Alastair Cook at home attending the birth of his second child, Ben Duckett and Haseeb Hameed will open the batting in the pair of two-day practice matches which get underway on Friday at MA Aziz Stadium against a Bangladesh Cricket Board XI.
How they perform over the next few days may decide who partners Cook in the two Tests but Farbrace says there could be room for both in the Test XI.
"It's a bit of a shoot-out but they could end up both playing," he said.
"There's no reason why Duckett couldn't bat in the middle order, there are places going."
Watch Bangladesh take on England in the first Test - live on Sky Sports 2 and Sky Sports Mix from Thursday, October 20. Upgrade now and enjoy six months at half price!
