JOS Buttler may sadly no longer be wearing a Somerset shirt but the locals who will be in the crowd at the Cooper Associates County Ground for the England v South Africa IT20 can rest assured he is still very much one of us, writes Richard Walsh.

Born at Musgrove Park Hospital, the 26-year-old played up through the Somerset age groups before joining the Academy, and made his first team debut in 2009.

Without doubt he is one of the most talented and excitingly innovative cricketers this county has ever produced, and he has so far represented England in 18 Test matches, 94 ODIs and 54 IT20s.

Buttler was a game changer and whenever he walked to the wicket the excitement visibly grew around the ground.

At the end of 2013, he left to join Lancashire but, despite this, Buttler still proudly hangs on to his Somerset roots and the hope among local fans is that one day he will return to his spiritual home.

Following the conclusion of the IT20 series, he is set to try his hand at baseball with teammate Alex Hales at a special event in London’s Hyde Park on July 4.

On Friday night, however, Buttler - who is the fourth-highest scoring England T20 batsman of all time and needs just 57 more runs to reach 1,000 in IT20s - will be solely focused on his first ever international on the ground where he grew up and learned his trade. 

Speaking exclusively to the County Gazette ahead of his homecoming, Buttler said: “I am so excited about the prospect of playing back at Taunton on Friday. 

“Ever since Taunton was awarded the game it was one I have been desperate to try and be involved in.”

Buttler, who attended King’s College as a youngster, went on: “I have only played once at Taunton since I left for Lancashire, which I found very tough, but I am sure this will be a much more enjoyable experience. 

“The ground has undergone some redevelopment since I was last there and the pictures I have seen of it look brilliant. 

“I will have lots of family and friends in the crowd on Friday and I can’t wait to get back in the middle at Taunton.

“Having seen a recent 50-over game between Notts and Somerset racking up more than 800 runs in 100 overs, it sure could be a high scoring game. 

“I can’t wait to get there!”