Kumar Sangakkara backs Jos Buttler to become England's Test opener

England batter Jos Buttler has been firing on all cylinders in white-ball cricket. 

Building a prolific IPL season that saw him win the orange cap with 863 runs, Buttler continued his form in the three-match ODI series versus the Netherlands and was named 'Player of the Series', having scored a total of 248 runs.

However, it has been a different story for the hard-hitting Englishman when it comes to Test cricket. The wicket-keeper's underwhelming Test record has forced England to look for a replacement in Ben Foakes. 

Still, considering Buttler's calibre, some supporters have been calling for his return to white-ball cricket under the tutelage of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum.

Former Sri Lanka cricketer Kumar Sangakkara has now claimed that Buttler could feature as an opener in the English Test side. He cited the examples of Virender Sehwag and Matthew Hayden, who were as destructive as the 31-year-old, and opened for their respective national sides in red-ball cricket.

"I'd really look at him to open the innings in Test cricket. We've always talked about him batting at seven, batting with the tail. We've seen Sehwag, Hayden, all of them opening the innings – why not Buttler?" Sangakkara said as quoted on Sky Sports.

The Sri Lankan legend observed Buttler closely during the IPL 2022 as he coached Rajasthan Royals, featuring the Englishman. 

In 57 Test matches, Buttler has scored 2,907 runs with two centuries and 18 half-centuries at an average of 31.94.