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Jos Buttler has credited a lack of first-class cricket as a crucial ingredient in his successful return to the Test team.Buttler made 76, his second highest Test score, to help England reach 400 in their first innings in Mumbai. It was an impressive contribution for a number of reasons, not least the restraint Buttler exhibited against testing bowling. It was also his first half-century in first-class cricket since May 2015.More pertinently, it was just his fifth first-class innings since he was dropped from the England Test team in the UAE in October 2015.But far from seeing that lack of red-ball cricket as a disadvantage, Buttler insisted it was a factor in his relative success.I dont feel like having not played first-class cricket mattered to me at all, Buttler said. Probably the best thing for me is having not played any red-ball cricket for a year and having some time to think about my game.We play so much cricket that sometimes there isnt enough time to think, break down your game and work out what is vital to get the best out of yourself. I feel like the last year Ive probably learned the most about myself and about cricket in my whole career.While Buttlers words clash with conventional wisdom - Alastair Cook described Buttlers lack of first-class cricket as clearly not ideal ahead of the Mohali Test - there appear to be a growing number of players arguing for the benefits of a fresh body and mind over the virtues of regular games. Certainly Eoin Morgan has previously said he felt twice the man for a months rest ahead of an ODI series - while Kevin Pietersen has often remarked that Englands cricketers are obliged to battle not only their opponents, but their own schedules.At the time Buttler was dropped from the Test side, he seemed confused and lacking in confidence. He had failed to reach 50 in his 12 most recent Test innings - he had not reached 10 on six of those occasions - and later admitted he was relieved to have been left out.I got to a stage where I was not concentrating and did not want to be there, Buttler told The Telegraph this time last year. It was a relief to get dropped. I was not enjoying walking out there and feeling like I didnt know where the next run was coming from.Crucial to Buttlers improvement now - and it does have to be said, these are early days in his recall and the returns, while pleasing, are relatively modest - has been a renewed belief in his own abilities. And while these havent been demonstrated in copious amounts - or even sparse amounts - of first-class runs (injury and white-ball commitments limited him to a single County Championship match in the 2016 season), they are real nevertheless.After all, Buttler is the scorer of the three quickest ODI centuries made by an England player. He has shown, in many T20 and List A situations, that he has a rare ability. Few doubt his talent.But, after a series of failures in Test cricket, he had begun to doubt himself. And without the time and space to reflect and then work on his game, he felt he was sinking deeper into the mire with every dismissal.Ive learned one of the big things you have to have, that the top players have, is belief in your own game, he said. You have to be confident that, when you get a chance, youre going to perform.Youre your own best coach. Theres plenty of people out there to speak to, but probably one of the things I was doing when I struggled was speaking to too many people. It is better bringing it back to a few close people you trust and to yourself. No one can do it for you.You can receive great advice, but youve got to believe in yourself.Part of the reason for Buttlers limited appearances in first-class cricket in 2016 was a decision to appear in the IPL. While there still appears to be some controversy about such decisions in English cricket, Buttlers decision was fully supported by the ECB - indeed, they currently encourage players to gain experience in high-profile T20 leagues - on the basis of their increased prioritisation of white-ball cricket.If Buttler goes on to help England to that elusive global ODI trophy - and he may well - it may well be credited as a contributory factor. Anyway, had he not subsequently broken his thumb playing T20 cricket for Lancashire, he would still have been able to play several Championship matches.Besides, he feels the experience of representing Mumbai Indians in the IPL may have helped him deal with the conditions and the environment in Mumbai.It probably helps, having practised and played here, Buttler said. Having experienced IPL, you get used to the noise and chaos going on around you. You learn to deal with it and not get distracted. I think familiarity is good and definitely helps.Might there be a bit of contradiction there? After all, he argues that familiarity is good when it comes to batting in Mumbai, but freshness is best when it comes to building an innings against a red ball.It doesnt really matter. Just as Ben Ducketts success in the English domestic season didnt much matter when he came up against Ravi Ashwin and co. And just as Mark Ramprakash and Graeme Hicks century of first-class centuries didnt matter when it came to Test cricket. Success in county cricket is no guarantee.All that matters is whether their method works in Test cricket. So while you would think that Buttler would benefit from more experience, while you would think he would benefit from learning how to build an innings - he has, after all, a modest first-class record (just four first-class centuries and an average of 32) - if he can demonstrate that his method works, he should be encouraged to embrace it.This was an impressive innings. While Parthiv Patels description of the early part of it as very lucky is somewhat graceless (and antagonistic), it is not entirely without truth. But while Buttler found batting a desperate struggle against the spinners on the first evening, he had the confidence and composure not to try and thrash his way out of trouble.While there were glimpses of the fine limited-overs player he has become - a few reverse-sweeps and one heave over mid-on for six - it was the less eye-catching skills that helped him here: his patience; his soft hands (not least when playing Jayant Yadav in front of leg slip when he had scored only 1), his ability to manoeuvre the ball and his maturity in dealing with the periods of pressure. Only once - in his 73 against New Zealand at Leeds in 2015 (his most recent half-century before this) - had he faced more deliveries in a Test innings.The game has changed. We live in an age where players reach centuries on debut with reverse-sweeps, where catches are routinely taken by fielders using the both sides of the boundary, where switch-hits and doosras have become part of the lexicon of the game. 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That included a track-record third run of 51. TALLADEGA, Ala. -- Joe Gibbs Racing used meticulous strategy when Denny Hamlin won the season-opening Daytona 500. To continue his championship chances, he was on his own.JGR used a split plan Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway, where three drivers lagged at the back of the field all day as Hamlin raced at the front to avoid elimination in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.His frantic third-place finish with a last-gasp pass of Kurt Busch at the finish line put him in a tie with Austin Dillon for the eighth and final spot in the third round of the playoffs. The berth went to Hamlin on a tiebreaker, and JGR got all four of its cars into the next segment. Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch finished 28th, 29th and 30th at Talladega behind a conservative approach that put four Toyotas into the Chases final eight.Hamlin knew he was on his own Sunday.It was very tough in there not having any teammates, he said. They had to do what they had to do to get in. You cant sacrifice those three cars to try to get the last one in.Youve got to know youve got in your hand three aces. You cant try to get the fourth and risk it, so I knew I was going to be out there alone.It was a gut-wrenching race for car owner Joe Gibbs, who celebrated his first title in 10 years last season with Busch and wants as many chances as possible to repeat the win next month. The team had two cars eliminated from contention in this race a year ago, but now Gibbs has 50 percent of the final field.Theyve got more to lose than I do, I guess, theyve got four, said Roger Penske, who has only Talladega winner Joey Logano in the third round. Brad Keselowski was eliminated Sunday by an engine failure and Ford has just one slot.But Penske felt fine with his singular chance, particularly after title favorite Martin Truex Jr. was knocked out Sunday with his own engine failure. Truex had won two races in the first round of the playoffs and would have given Toyota five spots had he advanced.Truex was a real threat to everyone, and the fact that hes not in, Brad, you take a couple of guys out that can really win ... its a level playing field, Penske said. We got some Toyotas, got some Chevys, we got a Ford. Were satisfied where we are.So is JGR.Hamlin had to edge Kurt Busch by .006 seconds for third pplace to claim that final point.dddddddddddd He told his team not to give him points updates, and that lack of knowledge forced him to scramble through the final turn as he was undecided on how aggressive he needed to be.I wasnt sure whether I needed to finish third, he said. I told them I didnt want points updates. But thats almost when I probably should have got one to figure out what I was going to do. (Dillon) is in the middle of the pack. Hes fighting and getting positions. He could change two positions in the last hundred yards.So you cant really predict it. I knew I just had to try to finish as good as I could.With Truex and Keselowski out of the playoffs before the checkered flag, the suspense came down to final finishing order. Logano was not in a must-win situation, but the victory didnt hurt.Dillon, on a frantic dash during two overtime laps to gain as many spots as possible, called the outcome heartbreaking.It sure stinks to lose it on a tiebreaker, Dillon said.Also eliminated Sunday was Chase Elliott. Advancing are: Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Edwards, Logano and Hamlin. Stewart-Haas Racing has Kurt Busch and Harvick -- but the two had a heated exchange after the race over alleged contact on the last lap -- while Hendrick Motorsports has Johnson for three Chevrolets in the field. Logano is the only Ford driver.The race was different from the spring stop in Alabama, when 35 cars were involved in at least one accident and two cars went airborne. And last year, it appeared that Harvick intentionally caused an accident on an overtime restart to help his championship chances.But for mile after mile Sunday, the drivers behaved.The only glitches came in a harried sequence early in the race in which three championship contenders had uncharacteristic gaffes within minutes of each other. First Logano left pit road with a jack wedged under his Ford, and he had to return to pit road to have it removed. Hamlin was later flagged for speeding, then Truex lost an engine.Keselowskis engine went with 43 laps remaining after hed battled climbing temperatures on his car because of debris on his front grille. ' ' '