The idea that “the butler did it”, is what’s known in TV terms as a ‘Dead Unicorn’ trope. That it’s so obvious that the Buttler will do it, that the Buttler no longer ever actually does it.

We’re now 53 games into Jos Buttler’s Test career and the white-ball superstar turned international phenomenon who was destined to become our very own Gilchrist has been….fine? Maybe even more than fine. It’s been good. ‘Good job Jos’ might well be what they call him in the dressing room. A Jos well done.

But, the problem with doing fine, is that you’re only ever a few games away from doing not fine. Call it ‘The Rory Burns paradox’ where depending on the week and the direction of the wind you’re either being touted as the next England captain or to be dropped in favour of someone who does the same job as you but in a more aesthetically pleasing manner. See Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes and that Buttler is currently vice-captain. The Rory Burns paradox, it’s everywhere.

And Buttler has now had a few games now where he’s not done fine. A lean start to the current series has followed a stretch in which he was rested and rotated more than any other, playing just three of England’s eight Tests in 2021 before this series, and none of their last five. He made 152 against Pakistan just 11 innings but more than a year ago. He has just two single-figure failures since, but also only one fifty. People forget quickly.

So, from a position of stability in the England XI, Buttler’s position now has faint question marks hovering over it. Both because of his recent performances as well as potential future commitments to things more important than hitting a ball with a stick.

It’s the curse that now follows the most talented players of the modern generation that to play every format is veering on being physically and mentally impossible. Buttler has to miss some cricket at some point. And given that he is of greater importance to England’s white-ball set up than he is to the red, and that we are at the start of a three-year stretch in which there is a World Cup every year, it’s not unreasonable to think that Test cricket may be the format that England rest or rotate Buttler from the most.

Which leads to red-ball Buttler’s next problem. Which is that he’s judged by the standards of white-ball Buttler.

Compare the way Buttler’s lengthy Test career has been considered next to Ben Foakes’ fledgling one. From markedly different sample sizes, the two share pretty similar Test records with averages in the low 30s. But because of Buttler’s white-ball exploits we expect so much more from him. Buttler being fine is bad, because Buttler should be great. But Foakes being fine is good, because Foakes is fine.

It’s also worth noting that it was only last summer that Buttler was one run away from being England’s leading run scorer for the season, so deserving credit is in the bank. Buttler is also a rarity in that he has averaged more in Test cricket than he has in first-class cricket. In an article by Jack Hope of The Cricket Podcast, it was pointed out that since the turn of 2000, of the 47 players to have scored more than 500 Test runs for England, only nine have done so at an average higher than that of their first-class one, and Buttler is one of them. Far from his Test career being the underwhelming work of a white-ball genius, it’s arguably the overachievement of a man committed to excelling in all formats who’s been performing admirably all along.

However, a fair riposte to that would be why settle for admirable? In a murder mystery, the butler is only ever guilty when the author hasn’t come up with a better solution. So who else is there?

As mentioned, Foakes is fine. Currently in the process of returning from injury, he has performed well when called upon and is often the purists’ selection. However, the return of Jonny Bairstow to the XI and the desire for Ollie Pope to fulfil his potential and come back into the team complicates matters slightly.

If Buttler does miss any upcoming fixtures, Pope being selected in place of him would be dependent on Bairstow taking the gloves. One in, one out. However, if Buttler is unavailable and Foakes was selected in his place, then Pope would remain waiting for a chance to come back in.

And then when it comes to Bairstow in isolation, forget issues of messing him around by giving him the gloves or moving him up or down the order or whatever, the fact is that the problem currently faced by Buttler of being a multi-format player in the modern day will simply transfer to him. And that will mean in a year’s time the same conversation will be being had again and I’ll be writing this piece again and having to work out a way to swap out all the butler references for Bairstow jokes and it’ll be terrible.

This can be looked at in one of two ways for England fans. Uncertainty over a key position in the side, or the luxury of having three potential options who could all perform to an international standard. For the meantime however, I’m backing Buttler. Afterall, it’s always the butler, isn’t it?