Jos Buttler – the one name from the England squad is enough to frighten the opponent, isn’t it?
From getting dismissed for a duck in the debut against Pakistan in 2012 to score electrifying 150 off 77, Buttler has come a long way.
Since the dismal show in the 2015 World Cup, the team have changed a lot where Buttler’s contribution is no less than the other players.
Yes, he is not the opening batsman of his team but how many batsmen are there in World Cricket who comes to bat at No.5 or 6 and still maintain a strike rate more than 119?
There are hardly few batsmen in the World who are as devastating as Buttler. He has been in a formidable form for the last couple of years. 8 centuries in his name in One Day Internationals (ODI) from 131 matches, he is arguably one of the key players for England in this World Cup.
He has amassed more than 3500 runs in ODI so far where he smashed five of the fastest ten ODI centuries ever scored by an English batsman. His ability to score in the nearly 360-degree area makes him a dangerous player for his side and a formidable foe for their opponents.
A fearless cricketer from the beginning, he scored his maiden first-class century in his fourth County Championship match. His aggressive batting helped Somerset to reach the final of T20 and 40 over final in consecutive years of 2010 and 11.
If that didn’t give a sign of a great player then what would have?
After having a successful Under-17 and Under-18 season, he finally made his cut to the national team in 2012 and took a little time left his mark there.
As they say, cricket is a game of time, He also faced bad times.
In 2016, he was replaced by Jonny Bairstow in the Test team. However, he returned in the 2016 World Twenty20 and scored the fastest fifty by an English player against Pakistan in the limited over game. Later, in 2018, he recalled in the Test squad and had a successful series against Pakistan as he was the leading run-scorer there.
He ensured Australia end the tour winless in their five-match ODI series in 2018 where he was awarded the ‘Player of the Series’. In the same series, Buttler scored the fastest T20I half-century by an English cricketer off 22 balls. Moreover, he replaced James Anderson as the Test vice-captain and started performing well in all the three formats.
If that is not enough to understand how dangerous he could be, then there is his incredible knock against West Indies.
He came to bat at NO.5 in the fourth game of their five-match ODI series and compiled a 204-run with the captain Eoin Morgan. Morgan also scored 103 off 88 but it was Buttler who took the limelight, smashing 13 boundaries and 12 sixes in his swashbuckling knock of 77-ball 150.
He came, saw and conquered.
His attacking nature makes England’s middle-order stronger with the likes of Eoin Morgan, Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy, Joe Root at the top. The fearless brand of cricket which England play nowadays is undoubtedly led by none other than Jos Buttler who’s sensational form will be the key for England to win the World Cup this year on their home soil.
