Paul Collingwood insists Jos Buttler will be ‘backed to the hilt’

Paul Collingwood, England’s assistant coach, has backed Jos Buttler to thrive despite the wicketkeeper’s desperate Test series against South Africa.

Buttler, one of England’s best white-ball batsmen, looks physically exhausted and mentally drained after playing a leading role in last summer’s World Cup win and the Ashes series that followed.

His dismissal for eight on day three of the fourth and final Test against South Africa in Johannesburg means he ends the series with an average of 16.42 and in danger of being dropped for England’s next tour of Sri Lanka in March.

Related: Mark Wood claims five before England set South Africa target of 466 to win

Joe Root’s team are still on course to win the series 3-1 after they established a 217-run first-innings lead and ended the third day setting South Africa an unlikely 466 to win after scoring 248 in their second innings.

Buttler has scored just one century in 41 Tests and averages only 31.74 overall. Other options to keep wicket for the foreseeable future include Jonny Bairstow and Ben Foakes.

However, Collingwood believes the 29-year-old, whose top score of 43 this winter came against New Zealand in November, should be persisted with and does not need a break.

“He’s an X-factor player,” he said. “If our batting lineup does the job, which it has in this series, then he can go out there and be positive. Sometimes that’s not going to come off but we know what a world-class player he is.

Related: Jos Buttler’s batting struggles demand a rethink from England | Chris Stocks

“He can adapt to Test cricket and he will win games for us. He has done in the past. Players like that you’ve got to back to the hilt. Simple as that.”

One player enjoying a far better series than Buttler is Mark Wood, who claimed his second five-wicket haul in Tests as South Africa were bowled out for 183 in their first innings.

The 30-year-old fast bowler is playing back-to-back Tests for the first time since his debut summer of 2015 and Collingwood, Wood’s former Durham teammate, said: “I’m absolutely delighted for him. I’ve played a lot of cricket with him and to play back-to-back Test matches will give him a lot of confidence. He’s got a great personality, a lot of humour, but most of all he brings 90mph-plus bowling. That is a skill you need in Test cricket. When he’s in full flow it’s amazing to watch.”