Live Score
Cricket Teams
Cricket Players
T20 World Cup: Jos Buttler puts on a Sharjah special as England defeat Sri Lanka
The wicket-keeper batsman superbly accelerated, sealing his century with a last-ball six before T20 World Cup’s favourites won by 26 runs.
The Sharjah Cricket Stadium has witnessed some batting classics. Sachin Tendulkar’s 143-run “Desert Storm” in 1998 versus Australia immediately springs to mind. On Monday evening, England’s Jos Buttler added his name to the list of Sharjah specials with a scintillating unbeaten 101 in the T20 World Cup. It was the tournament’s first century.
The opening batter’s super effort helped England win the Super-12 game against a fighting Sri Lanka by 26 runs, becoming the first team in the competition to book a semifinal spot. England sit atop the Group 1 table with four wins out of four. It was 2014 winners Sri Lanka’s third defeat in four games.
With smaller boundaries, the UAE venue is famous as a batting paradise, but not this season. The opening batsman’s effort stood out because it came under demanding circumstances. On a pitch where the batsmen have not known from where to get their next run, he played an innings of such brilliance that forced the Sri Lankan bowlers to bowl to his strengths. He scored nearly 70% of his team’s total of 163. That it is Buttler’s maiden T20I hundred made it even more special.
It was an innings where the opener had to soak in the early pressure after England were reduced to 36/3. Putting on an exhibition of how to play on a slow, turning surface, Buttler used his feet to pick up his runs with risk free cricket in the early part of the innings before exploding. He took 45 balls to reach his half-century. His acceleration from there was such that his second 50 runs came off only 22 balls with a dramatic last-ball six sealing his hundred. Batting at a strike rate of 150 plus, he smashed six sixes and fours each.
The Rajasthan Royals player’s decision to skip the second half of Indian Premier League played before the World Cup has served him well. Looking rejuvenated, the keeper-batsman had in his last innings against Australia hammered an unbeaten 71 off a mere 32 balls.
In the company of his captain Eoin Morgan, Buttler shared a 112-run partnership in 78 balls. It was an important innings for Morgan. In supreme control as the leader of a wonderful side, he needed runs to maintain his position in the team. He started cautiously before playing the big shots, hitting three sixes in a 36-ball 40.
In their chase, Sri Lanka needed something as special from one of their batters. A poor start of 40/3 in the powerplay period put paid to their hopes.
In this game though, England had the challenge of bowling with a wet ball due to heavy dew. Sri Lanka batters kept fighting. At the end of the 15 overs, the chase was on. Sri Lanka, powered by skipper Dasun Shanaka and Wanindu Hasaranga, were 113/5, needing 51 off 30 balls. Another 10 runs in the 16th over made it 41 off 24 balls. Their fifty partnership was up in 16.4 overs but Hasaranga holed out the next ball to end the game as a contest.
