Cook hails 'special talent' Buttler over stellar performance in 'Kiwi-whitewashed' ODIs

England captain Alastair Cook has hailed young cricketer Jos Buttler, saying that he has special talent and works very hard to ensure that he makes the most of his natural ability.

As a spectacular performance by Buttler averted the threat of a 3-0 series whitewash by New Zealand in the recent ODI series, England is set to begin their ICC Champions Trophy campaign at Edgbaston on Saturday in much better heart than Australia, the Guardian reports.

Praising Buttler, an admiring Cook said that the Somerset wicketkeeper has worked very hard to develop and maintain his talent, adding that he is confident that Buttler will be playing his shots for England in the same way he did for Somerset.

Cook was also encouraged by a return to form for Eoin Morgan, who shared a rapid sixth-wicket stand of 62 with Buttler, and by the early indications that Stuart Broad and Steven Finn had each come through a first appearance in the one-day series with no reaction to the injuries that had ruled them out of the previous two games.

However, the England skipper dismissed the idea of taking any encouragement from Australia's capitulation for 65 in their last warm-up game against India in Cardiff on Tuesday, adding that it will have little relevance on their Champions Trophy game against their arch-rivals.

According to the report, Cook and England's one-day coach Ashley Giles now have two days to ponder a change to their strategy for the Champions Trophy after New Zealand's captain Brendon McCullum observation that England had a better balance than in the first two games with the inclusion of Ravi Bopara as an extra batsman allowing Buttler to drop down to No7.

Buttler was named man of the match and the New Zealand opener Martin Guptill man of the series for unbeaten centuries in each of the first two games, the report added.