Short-form stars make the leap at Trent Bridge

The gap between cricket’s longest and shortest formats may have never been greater.

But Jos Buttler and Jasprit Bumrah on Tuesday both showed the leap from a game based on power and innovation to one where persistence and mental fortitude are more important is far from impossible. 

After arriving at the crease with England 4-62 and on the brink of defeat on day four of the third Test at Trent Bridge, Buttler delivered a long-awaited maiden Test century in a gritty show of defiance.

The knock was more symbolic than match-defining given England's insurmountable fourth-innings victory target of 521, but it nonetheless represented a major breakthrough for a batsman who some had pigeon-holed as a short-format power hitter.

Buttler averaged a tick over 30 with the bat in his first 18 Tests between 2014 and 2016, 15 of which saw him deployed as the team's wicketkeeper, but has since found his calling in England's revolutionary limited-overs sides.

The 27-year-old has become one of the most feared one-day and T20 batters in the world, and was a surprise recall to the Test side at the start of the northern summer. New selection chief Ed Smith admitted his selection was largely based on his supreme form in the Indian Premier League.

"It's been a long time coming and a few months ago it was a million miles away. It's a huge moment for me," Buttler said after keeping India at bay with a 176-ball 106.

"I was never sure if I'd ever play Test cricket again so all those thoughts go through your head when you're out there and start to get close (to a hundred).

"To show you can do it for your team and that you hopefully belong is maybe the biggest thing.

"Test cricket is really tough - it tests you in all sorts of ways and this is definitely the proudest moment in an England shirt."

On the bowling front, Buttler's former Mumbai Indians teammate Bumrah also showed his capability in the longest format.

A right-armer with an awkward, stiff-armed action, Bumrah burst on to the international scene in 2016 and has since risen to become the International Cricket Council's leading ODI bowler.

With bowling averages of 22.50 and 19.93 in ODI and T20 Internationals respectively, he's been touted as the world's best white-ball paceman, but had to wait until January this year to make his Test debut.

After collecting his maiden Test five-for at The Wanderers against South Africa, he returned to the Indian side in Nottingham for the third Test and has duly delivered with seven wickets for the match.

His dramatic new-ball burst of three wickets for eight runs in five balls was a reward for his endurance, as well as skill. In his first match of the series following a thumb injury, Bumrah bowled 26 overs on Tuesday that included an impressive pre-lunch spell of 1-10 from nine overs.

"I was always used to bowling a lot of overs in the Ranji Trophy (India's domestic four-day competition) which always helps," said Bumrah, who finished the day with 5-85 from 29 overs.

"When I was injured I was working on my fitness, my training schedules.

He added: "In white ball cricket, things are a little different.

"Over there you try to outsmart the batsman, but over here in Test cricket it's about patience and consistency. That was my main focus today.

"You can't blast the batsman out. I was looking to bowl good lengths … I have a clear plan, a clear head and a clear space of mind."

With AFP.