Jos Buttler admitted that yesterday’s match against Sri Lanka had been England’s toughest challenge of the T20 World Cup but that did not stop him from becoming the first Englishman to score a hundred in all three formats of the game.
Buttler’s unbeaten innings of 101 from 67 balls while batting first in Sharjah was described by Eoin Morgan as “one of his best ever innings” as England all but qualified for the semi-finals of the tournament.
“The key was staying patient,” Buttler, 31, said. “I found it really tough early on but managed to get a really good partnership together with Eoin Morgan and accelerate through the back end. We were just trying to get something going. We had found facing the spin bowlers really tricky with the low bounce. At the time we were thinking 120 might have been a good score which, as it turned out with the conditions, would have been well short.
“I used all my experience and trusted that it would come at some point in the innings. I have had a lot of experience batting in the middle so I back myself to catch up if I’ve soaked up some dot balls.
“It was a great win for us as a team. The three matches before we have won the toss but today, to be on the worse end of the conditions and to show the character we did, with one of bowlers [Tymal Mills] getting injured, and what that will do for our confidence is great.”
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Buttler also played his part in England’s successful defence with a brilliant run out of Dasun Shanaka. “That was probably the favourite bit of my day actually,” the wicketkeeper said. “We were under pressure for a long part of that chase, knowing that Moeen [Ali] had to bowl that 19th over. So I was delighted to get that wicket.”
Morgan was forced to change his bowling plans after an injury to Mills halfway through his second over, which has subsequently been confirmed as an issue with his right quad muscle. He will be assessed by the medical staff today but it could rule him out of the rest of the tournament. If Mills is sidelined, Mark Wood is likely to come into the team as the only other raw pace bowler in the squad, although England also have further options in David Willey and Tom Curran.
Mills’s injury meant Chris Woakes needed to complete the over, leaving Morgan with no option but to bowl Ali, a high-risk choice given the short boundary on one side of the ground. “Maybe if we went again, it would be different — I’m not sure our maths quite worked out there,” Buttler said. “We just felt with the short side there it was going to be a big three balls in the game, and those two would have targeted Moeen there. But we got the wickets which helped his over.”
Morgan, who ended his lean run of form with a quickfire 40, said it was “incredible to be at the other end and watch” Buttler in full flow.
“He really is one of the best in the game and a privilege to play with,” Morgan said. “We are delighted with the win. Sri Lanka have pushed us further than we’ve been pushed so far in the tournament.”
