The ICC T20 World Cup 2021, has not turned out to be a batsmen’s paradise as many would have expected it to be. The wickets in UAE which were previously seen to be flat and batsmen friendly, have turned out to be dually paced. Which makes it hard for players to get their eyes in and play strokes according to their will. However, there is always an exceptions in such scenario and England’s Jos Buttler has been just that in this tournament.
The English Wicketkeeper-batsman has been in sublime form in this tournament and he put it on display yet again as he scored the first century of the tournament against Sri Lanka on Monday evening. After losing the toss, England was invited to bat first as thus far in this competition majority of the matches are won by the team batting second. Sri Lanka’s decision turned out to be the right one as they picked up 3 crucial wickets within the powerplay itself. By the halfway mark of the first inning, England only had 47 runs on the scoreboard. Thankfully Jos Buttler who had opened the innings today with Jason Roy had gotten his eye in and was batting at 24 runs.
In the second half of the first inning, Buttler changed the complexion of the game almost singlehandedly. It was in the 13th over of the match in which a change in momentum was seen when Buttler smoked Karunaratne for 13 runs in 5 balls. He then completed his fifty in the very next over and started taking on every bowler from there onwards. Batting alongside captain Morgan Buttler enjoyed some freedom of Strokeplay and he showcased it in every opportunity he got. In the 18th over of the game, he decided to take on Shanaka who had only conceded 5 runs in his previous over and scored 19 runs in his over. It was in the final ball of the inning that Buttler brought up his century in a dramatic style by hoofing a full toss ball over square leg for a six. He made 101 in just 67 balls at a strike rate of 150.75, his inning included 6 fours and 6 sixes.
Jos Buttler is also the highest run-scorer of this tournament with 214 runs against his name.
