JOS THE JOB!
Buttler blends power with precision to see off the Aussies again
JOS BUTTLER dished out a clinical T20 lesson to secure England’s first ever series win over Australia in the format with a game to spare.
Buttler clinched victory by sending a delivery from Adam Zampa soaring into the top tier of the Rod Bransgrove Pavilion as if teeing off on the golf course behind the Rose Bowl.
It sealed an emphatic sixwicket win over the lacklustre tourists and gave Buttler his highest T20 score.
His 77 not out from 54 balls ended the debate over whether he should be England’s T20 opener – as he was yesterday – or finisher. He can be both.
“It’s the best place to bat in T20 cricket,” said Buttler. “And it’s a great thing when you can walk off having seen your team over the line. It’s ’ my favourite f place to bat.
“We’ve probably eight or nine guys to bat in the top three. I’m very happy there, but I’ll do what the team needs. The decision is for the coach and captain to make.
“I’ve missed playing ng T20 cricket and was really ally looking forward to o these games, and d playing against Australia is always an extra motivation to do well.”
If Buttler was the he star with the bat then Jofra Archer and Mark Wood were irresistible with the ball, bowling their quickest spells of the summer, Archer touching 96mph.
It put the skids under Australia’s innings from the off, and from 30-3 following Steve Smith’s kamikaze run out, their hopes of setting up a decider tomorrow took a nosedive. Archer’s pace is what Joe Root will try to harness in the Ashes. Buttler said: “As an opening batsman, the last man I want to face is Jofra Archer with a brand new ball.” Mitc Mitchell Starc is in the sam same category, but B Buttler (celebrating victory v with Moeen A Ali, left) dealt with h his thunderbolts to r remind everyone w why he is regarded as one of the finest white white-ball cricketers the game has ever seen.
He took calculated risks in the opening powerplay before mixing precision with power to leave Australia’s bowlers scratching their heads. Starc said: “He’s a clean striker of the ball and hard to stop once he gets going. He is someone we need to get a plan for over the rest of these white-ball games.”
A target of 158 after Australia spluttered to 157-7 always felt on the light side, but on a pitch being used for the second time in three days, the visitors had a chance.
They needed to pick up wickets to make the most of that chance, but for much of England’s innings failed to do so until Dawid Malan, Tom Banton and Eoin Morgan fell in quick succession.
The memory of Australia’s Friday night choke was fresh enough in the memory for Buttler to make sure he stuck around to the end.
And it allowed Moeen Ali to ease the pressure in the penult imate over with a monster six and four off Zampa to take England up to the line before Buttler swatted them over it.
Bu t t le r added: “Mo said he fanci ed taking on the leg spinner and it takes courage to play like that, but he did it brilliantly and made the finish much easier.”