Quote:At some point during those troubles, the batsman decided to say, well… “F**k it.” It appears to have worked too because he’s been saying it – and writing it on his bat handles — ever since.

That change in attitude was largely responsible for the turnaround that brought him here. Unexpectedly Reinstated to the Test side for the recent Lords Test he scored 14 and 67. At Leeds he earned the Man of the Match award for his impressive, unbeaten 80, that lifted England from 212/5 when he strolled to the middle to their eventual 363.

Buttler has been a dominant limited overs player for some time, and Ed Smith’s conviction that he can be an outstanding Test player appears, so far at least, to be paying off. Still, he is only two games into his comeback and so has a far way to go before he can accurately be described as an outstanding Test-match batsman.

To achieve that acclaim he’d do well to stick to the methods he’s found effective to this point. “Dance with the one that brought you,” says famed recording artist Shania Twain. In other words, Buttler should continue to say “F**k it.”

“F**k it” is not a celebration of profanity. Rather, it signifies an approach that many sportsmen have found valuable. It speaks to an attitude that unclutters the mind, one that frees the performer to rely on his instincts rather than fall into the trap of overthinking things. It is an approach that invites perspective.