Buttler, fresh from two months at the IPL with Rajasthan Royals, has been with Lancashire for the past week and a half, training at Chester Boughton Hall before away matches at Yorkshire, Durham and Notts.

"It's been so nice to go and train at Chester after being in the IPL with all the razzmatazz and pressure, to almost go back to where you started your career," he said. "Club cricket has been such a big part of my development, it makes you feel quite comfortable and for it to just be about the cricket.

"Being able to take some of our games to outgrounds such as Blackpool, it's great for the county. It will be a bit different [than the last couple of months at the IPL]. But if it was the same every time, you'd get bored of it maybe. I'm really looking forward it."

After Thursday's Roses game, in which Buttler scored 1 opening the batting, Yorkshire captain Shan Masood said Lancashire's team for the Blast "could be an international side". Buttler is joined in the squad by Colin de Grandhomme, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Daryl Mitchell, Matthew Parkinson, Phil Salt and Luke Wood.

It begs the question of how the Red Rose compare to an IPL team?

"It's a tough question," Buttler said. "There are limitations in terms of county cricket compared to IPL. You get the four overseas players over there, for example. But I certainly think we have a very strong team for this competition.

"There's lots of international experience and some really talented guys who are on the cusp of pushing. We also have some experienced guys from around the franchise world. We have a nice blend of guys, and we should go well in the competition."

It is amazing to think that this coming September it will be 10 years since Buttler signed for Lancashire from home county Somerset in search of greater opportunities. At the time, Craig Kieswetter was preferred behind the stumps at Taunton.

"That makes me feel a bit old," smiled the 32-year-old. "It is a long time, but it feels like it's gone very fast. You look back at 10 years and my evolution as a player, the constant desire to improve and get better.

"There have obviously been different parts of that, trying to make the best of it in red-ball cricket and Test matches. Very much now, I'd say there's a big focus on white-ball cricket and being captain of the [England] white-ball team.

"It's been a great journey and a development of my game over time. There's still some very similar bits in there, but hopefully there's plenty more to come. I came here with ambitions to really push on and kick-start an international career. It's been a fantastic journey, and the club have been so supportive.

"I've been in and out and not been around as much, but the support has been fantastic. I've had a brilliant time at the club, and I'm really looking forward to playing a nice block of games and be part of a really strong side. Hopefully we can have a good competition."

Given the strength of Lancashire's team across the two decades of Blast cricket, it is a huge surprise that the county have only won the title once - in 2015, when Buttler was in the team. The likes of Andrew Flintoff have played, Muttiah Muralitharan, the late Andrew Symonds, Stuart Law - the list goes on.

Buttler is one of those who can't really believe that statistic: "No, not really - for the strength of the squads and teams we've had and the stature of the club," he added. "Teams such as Lancashire should be competing and winning. Overall, we've won the most T20 games [in England]. But it's about winning the finals.

"We've got a good team again this year, and - as I say - I expect us to push hard for that trophy."