The runs have worryingly dried up for Buttler at the past three major events but, even aged 34 and with his market value in the franchise world still high, he remains unsated in an England shirt.
After arriving in Karachi 24 hours later, scene of Saturday’s final group game against South Africa, Buttler flicked McCullum a message asking him to come to his room for a chat.
The cat was pretty much out of the bag two nights earlier in Lahore when, slightly shell-shocked from England’s failed run chase against Afghanistan, Buttler said he would be considering his future.
The good news, McCullum stressed, is that after leading the team out one last time, Buttler intends to carry on as a player.
Later that year, alongside a new head coach in Matthew Mott, Buttler lifted the T20 World Cup in Australia.
