What should England do about Jos Buttler?

England’s white-ball brains trust faces a dilemma that would have seemed unthinkable six months ago: whether to persevere with, reposition or even omit Jos Buttler ahead of next week’s T20 World Cup semi-final. The 35-year-old wicket-keeper batter, twice a World Cup winner and the fourth-highest run-scorer in T20 international history, is mired in the worst sequence of his career—five consecutive single-figure scores, culminating in a duck against New Zealand on Friday. He has not passed fifty in any of his 16 international innings this winter.

Inside the camp the message remains defiantly supportive. Captain Harry Brook, who replaced Buttler as skipper at the start of the tournament, lauded his predecessor after the New Zealand victory. “It is exciting to know what he could produce in the next few games,” Brook said. “He’s probably the best white-ball player to play the game. He’s in a rut but he’s got fire in his belly.”

Yet the numbers are stark. Buttler’s current run eclipses even his barren 2023 50-over World Cup, when he tallied only 9, 15, 8, 10, 1, 5 and 27 as England crashed out. Extra net sessions, throw-downs against local spinners and prolonged stints with the dog stick have failed to spark a revival.

England’s first option is to hold their nerve and keep Buttler at the top of the order, trusting that a single boundary through the covers—his trademark shot—could reboot the innings and the tournament. The second is to shift him down the order, utilising the finishing skills he displays in 50-over cricket. He has batted at five or six 45 times for England in T20s, albeit not regularly since 2018. Such a move would demand an opener to step in; Tom Banton and Will Jacks are specialists, though Banton has been earmarked for a middle-order spin-hitting role and Jacks has flourished as a finisher, striking 191 runs from 108 balls to be England’s player of the tournament so far. Rehan Ahmed also impressed in the finisher slot against New Zealand. Brook and Jacob Bethell have IPL opening experience, but Brook just hammered a century at No. 3 and Bethell is not renowned as a rapid starter.

A simpler tweak would be to swap Brook and Buttler, allowing the latter to drop to first drop—a position he occupied until last summer and where he starred in the 2023 IPL. That, however, would break up the prolific Buttler-Phil Salt opening partnership that was billed as a pre-tournament strength.

The nuclear option—omitting Buttler altogether—appears remote. He signed a two-year central contract last year and has been England’s white-ball mainstay for a decade. Reserve batter Ben Duckett is equally out of touch, averaging 18.88 across 12 matches this winter and registering a golden duck in his last outing.

Former England spinner Alex Hartley summed up the faith still swirling around the squad: “Who is writing Jos Buttler off? If you are, get a grip. It takes one shot crunched through the covers and he will be back.”

With a semi-final berth secured and the prospect of a Wankhede showdown—where Buttler has IPL scores of 94 not out, 89 and 116—England must decide whether pedigree outweighs present form. The answer they choose could define their campaign.