Wicketkeeper-batsman Buttler played the last of his 18 Tests against India in Chennai in December 2016, when he batted at seven while Jonny Bairstow took the gloves.
Despite averaging a reasonable 31.36 from 30 innings, Buttler’s hopes of returning to the five-day fold were written off in some quarters given his subsequent lack of red-ball action. He has not played a first-class match since September.
However, a scintillating purple patch in the Indian Premier League, where he has scored five consecutive fifties for Rajasthan Royals, has earned Buttler a recall in Ed Smith’s first party since being appointed national selector.
Smith has also called up uncapped 20-year-old off-spinner Dominic Bess, who is chosen after Somerset team-mate Jack Leach sustained a broken thumb that is likely to rule him out of the series.
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