England are looking to end their dismal tour of India on a high note by winning Saturday's Twenty20 international in Kolkata to show they remain a major force in the shortest version of the game. The reigning world Twenty20 champions endured an embarrassing 5-0 whitewash in the 50-over-a-side contests at the hands of Mahendra Singh Dhoni's rejuvenated home team.
A win on Saturday in front of an expected full house of 60,000 fans at Eden Gardens will showcase England's firepower ahead of the defence of their World Twenty20 crown in Sri Lanka next September. Off-spinner Graeme Swann, who had a modest return of two wickets in the one-day series, will lead the tourists in the absence of injured Twenty20 captain Stuart Broad and vice-captain Eoin Morgan.
Somerset's big-hitter Jos Buttler, who joins the Twenty20 squad along with Alex Hales of Nottinghamshire, said he was excited about playing in Saturday's one-off match. "Every international game is serious business, and with the Twenty20 world cup in the subcontinent next year, every chance you get to play in these conditions is one you've got to use," the 21-year-old said.
Buttler, who helped Somerset reach the semi-finals of the T20 Champions League in India earlier this month, said the experience of playing against top players was invaluable. "It was brilliant to be out here with Somerset, a great tournament to be involved in, and we did really well," he said. "It can only stand me in good stead here, if I get the nod to play. It was high-class cricket, and definitely whets the appetite to push on even further."
England may be without star batsman Kevin Pietersen, who missed the fifth one-dayer on Tuesday with a broken thumb. India, meanwhile, have recalled hard-hitting batsmen Robin Uthappa and Yusuf Pathan to the Twenty20 squad which includes a majority of players who took part in the One-day series.
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