England fast bowler Stuart Broad has showered praise on his fellow countryman Jos Buttler by calling him England’s best-ever white-ball cricketer.
Broad’s remark came following Buttler’s match-winning knock of 77* against Australia in the second T20I against England at Southampton, where the hosts clinched a series win. The pacer lauded Buttler on Twitter:
England’s best ever white ball cricketer does it again. @josbuttler https://t.co/jMGW8HXApS
— Stuart Broad (@StuartBroad8) September 6, 2020
Opening the batting for England, wicketkeeper-batsman Buttler carried his bat with an unbeaten 77 ( off 54 balls, 4x8, 6x2) that took his side to an emphatic six-wicket victory over Australia.
Chasing Australia’s competitive total of 155 in overcast conditions, Buttler settled in nicely and engaged in a solid 87-run stand with the consistency personified Dawid Malan for the second wicket. The partnership was crucial after an early wobble for England which saw the other opener Jonny Bairstow getting out hit-wicket in the third over.
Buttler didn’t go for fireworks straightaway until England had reached a strong position and it was only then that he started opening his hands. The Lancashire batsman completed the series victory with a huge six off Adam Zampa, much to the dismay of the visitors.
In the past few years, Buttler has become a mainstay for the England side. Buttler has played in several positions for England- as a middle-order batsman, an opener, finisher while batting lower-down the order and simultaneously sharing wicketkeeping duties with Jonny Bairstow.
Buttler first broke into the side in 2011, making his T20I debut first against India and then made his ODI debut in 2012. But it was only after the 2015 ODI World Cup that he established himself into the scheme of things and became a vital cog in the wheel.
Despite mainly being played as a wicketkeeper, the 29-year-old is a brilliant outfielder as well. He has thus established himself as an undisputed starter into England’s T20I and ODI sides but is yet to fully make his mark in the Test format.
Buttler has played 141 ODIs, scoring 3,843 runs at an average of 40.88 while in T20Is, he has won 77 caps and scored 1,455 runs at an average of 28.53.
A good record but nothing out of the blue. Buttler has a strike rate of 119.83 in ODIs and a phenomenal 140.17 in T20Is. His hard-hitting and finishing ability in the white-ball formats is what makes him special.
In fact, Buttler holds the record for England’s fastest (off 46 balls) and second-fastest (50 balls) centuries in ODIs. Both knocks coming at the expense of Pakistani bowlers.
The swashbuckling batsman is well-known for his calm demeanor and has rescued the three lions several times in tough scenarios.
His contribution in England’s winning-run at the 2019 World Cup was very significant. Buttler, playing as a finisher, scored 312 runs at an average of 34.67 with an astounding strike-rate of 123.
Broad’s claim of Buttler being England’s greatest-ever limited-overs cricketer may be contentious but the wicketkeeper-batsman has surely made a case for himself and at 29 years of age, there’s surely a lot more to come from the cricketer.
