Jos Buttler returns to international cricket on Wednesday in his favoured Twenty20 opener's slot, hopeful that the five Tests he sat out recently will allow him to complete a full house of matches against India and Australia later this year.
Buttler enjoyed longer spells of downtime than either he or the ECB bargained for when the Indian Premier League was postponed last month, soon after a scheduled break saw him skip the remaining Tests after England went 1-0 up on the subcontinent.
Rather than rush back for the two-match New Zealand series with little or no first-class cricket behind them, he and other IPL players were told to spend more time at home by England's Ashley Giles ahead of an unrelenting itinerary over the next seven months including 10 Tests vs the two other members of world cricket's big three.