ODI form could earn Buttler Test recall

Strong showings from stand-in one-day captain Jos Buttler in England’s series victory over Bangladesh could propel him back into their Test side for the upcoming two-match series.

Buttler, appointed skipper in place of Eoin Morgan who pulled out of the tour due to security concerns, struck a pair of half-centuries in the three-match ODI series.

The wicketkeeper-batsman impressed assistant coach Paul Farbrace, who suggested he could be in line to play as a specialist batsman in the Test series against Bangladesh.

"The way he has batted out here he looks like he has batted on different wickets to the others," Farbrace said.

"If he can go and convince himself to play that way in red-ball cricket there is no reason why he should not see himself as a batter and get back in.

"He is on this trip as second keeper but there is no reason why he can’t get back in the side. If you are here in the squad you have a genuine chance of playing."

Buttler played the most recent of his 15 Tests 12 months ago when he was replaced by Jonny Bairstow behind the stumps after going seven Tests without a half-century.

Quick Single: Buttler satisfied after fiery series

At least two places in England’s batting order are up for grabs, with incumbent opener Alex Hales joining Morgan in pulling out of the tour while James Vince has been dropped after playing all seven of England’s Tests during the northern summer.

England are expecting are a barrage of spin when the first Test gets underway in Chittagong next week, with batsman Gary Ballance turning to teammate Joe Root for advice on how best to counter Bangladesh’s tweakers.

Ballance was picked for the tour despite a disappointing recent series against Pakistan, where he averaged 27.85 over the course of the four Tests and scored a solitary half-century.

The left-hander is expecting to face plenty of slow-bowling on pitches that traditionally offer plenty of assistance to spinners.

"There's going to be a lot of spin. I think we know that," Ballance said.

"I've done a few weeks before we came out facing a lot of spin. I know my method now.

"I've just got to put it into the games and if I can get a decent score early on, it gives you so much confidence for the rest of the trip."

Ballance said he had taken tips from England's star batsman Root and Dave Houghton, the former Zimbabwe captain who is now the batting coach of the new English county champions Middlesex.

"Just watching the way he plays and just talking to him about it is good. He's one of the best around at playing spin," Ballance said of Root, who has joined the touring party after sitting out the recently-concluded ODI series.

"He's got his way of playing and it's been successful."

Ballance expressed his frustration at not scoring more runs against Pakistan but added that he was not losing sleep over it.

"I thought I wasn't out of place, I felt good in most innings. It would have been nice to kick on and get a big score to cement myself in that middle order," he said.

"I took a lot of positives from that experience and I can definitely build on that.

"If you keep thinking 'I've got to score runs to stay in the side'... you can't think like that, you've just got to play each day as it comes, play the situation of the game."

England, who defeated Bangladesh in the three-match ODI series 2-1, will play two two-day warm-up fixtures in the next four days as part of their preparation for the first Test, which starts on October 20.