Butler was starting to doubt himself after having a frustrating season last year

New Zealand pace bowler Ian Butler has admitted that he had considered ending his international career and moving to England to play county cricket last year after failing to be picked regularly by the national team.

Butler’s international career has been constantly marred by injuries and prior to the start of the ongoing England series, Butler injured his ankle during a warm up game in Whangarei, which delayed his chances of returning to the national team after he spent more than two years on the sidelines.

Butler had an outstanding domestic season with Otago, picking up 36 wickets in eight matches at a brilliant average of 23.52.

However, Butler’s season last year was nowhere near as good and this was the point at which he considered moving to England.

“I would have signed over there for a county side and used my British passport [via his mother] like Hamish Marshall and guys like that have,” he told Fairfax NZ News. “But I decided not to go. I didn’t pull out but I was almost about to sign.

“I learned with Otago, you have to enjoy your cricket. As soon as you start taking that enjoyment out of it … like last year I had a few issues off the field and got dropped from my domestic T20 side and I didn’t even want to play cricket.

“I started looking at using my British passport in England and things like that. When you’re playing in a team environment that you enjoy, and you enjoy playing for your mates and your country, you shouldn’t have to worry about what happens in the future.”

Injuries have never unsettled Butler, as in 2004 doctors told him that he would “never bowl again” after he suffered a serious back injury.

Butler has since adopted the philosophy of: “You don’t believe everything the medical profession tells you.”

As of right now, Butler has set his sights on regaining a spot on the Test squad, and while he knows that New Zealand’s fast bowling stocks are full to the brim, he is hoping to ascend up the ranks by convincing and impressing the national selectors with his performances for Otago.

“With the crop of bowlers we’ve got at the moment, I’d imagine there’s a few ahead of me,” he said. “The aim now is to not give people opportunities to drop me. I don’t think I’ve ever bowled as well as I have this year. Four-day cricket is my favourite form of the game, it’s not something I’ve given up on, and I love playing it.”