"There’s no one better than him batting at the top of the order in white-ball cricket" - Kevin Pietersen backs Buttler to open the innings in ODIs 

Former England batter Kevin Pietersen feels that Jos Buttler should look to open the batting in ODIs to get back to his best. England's white-ball skipper is a certified opener in T20Is but has never batted at the top of the order in ODIs.

Buttler has been struggling for form following a dismal 2023 ODI World Cup campaign in India. Not only did England fail to qualify for the knockouts under his leadership, but he also endured a forgettable tournament as a batter. The wicketkeeper scored only 138 runs from nine innings at an average of 15.33.

When asked whether Buttler should open the innings in ODIs, Pietersen said in an exclusive interaction with Wisden:

“Absolutely. And he should open the batting. There’s no one better than him batting at the top of the order in white ball cricket. No one."

Pietersen also underlined England's downfall at the World Cup, with Buttler's batting position being one of the reasons behind it.

“The other selection issue was Jos Buttler, who is, I think, one of the greatest players of white-ball cricket in the modern-day game, batting at five or six", he added.

England currently have a small pool of opening batters when it comes to ODIs. Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan opened the innings at the World Cup, while the likes of Phil Salt and Will Jacks are in contention.

Furthermore, Harry Brook has been tested at the top as well, while Jason Roy is still seemingly in the scheme of things.

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"I think nobody would ever have expected what happened with England" - Kevin Pietersen

Defending champions England came into the 2023 ODI World Cup as one of the favorites, but ended up finishing seventh. The Jos Buttler-led side could only secure wins over Bangladesh, the Netherlands, and Pakistan to barely qualify for the 2025 Champions Trophy.

Opining that no one would have expected England to under-perform to this extent, Kevin Pietersen said:

“I think selection was the issue at the start. Not selecting Harry Brook [was a] poor decision. So I think there were some issues at the start. So there were a couple of selection issues, but I think nobody would ever have expected what happened with England. No one. And I don’t know what actually happened, apart from the fact that looking from the outside, just didn’t look like selection was right.”

Harry Brook was not part of the preliminary squad but was added at the last minute following a solid home series against New Zealand.

England are currently involved in an ODI series against West Indies away from home. The visitors suffered a narrow loss in the series opener but bounced back in the second contest to level the rubber with a match remaining.

Should Jos Buttler open the innings in ODI cricket as well? Let us know what you think.