Jos Buttler is one of the mainstays and key batters for England and he proved that at Lord’s. His flamboyant knock took England close to the finishing line but not quite over it as England suffered a heartbreak at Lord’s. Jos Buttler is the designated finisher and all-time great batter for England, and the hosts depend on him to deliver the goods for his side all the time. His aggressive stroke-play sometimes sees him fail, but more often than not delivers for his side.
Jos Buttler is a versatile batter for England. He can bat anywhere from the top and in the middle order. Because he is so versatile, he has been up and down the order but in this current team, he is suited to bat at 5 or 6. At Lord’s, he batted at 6 due to the promotion of Jacob Bethell. While England depends on Joe Root to be the glue of the side, they depend on Buttler to sometimes hold the innings, if there are early wickets and then finish things off in style which he does more often than not.
Jos Buttler’s 61 off 51 balls scares South Africa
At Lord’s in London last night, England were chasing 331 to level the series at 1-1. They lost their openers early before Joe Root and Jacob Bethell repaired the job for their side. But Bethell and Root fell in quick succession as England were reduced to 147/4 in 24.5 overs when the glue Joe Root made way for Jos Buttler. Buttler joined captain Harry Brook in the middle with a lot of work yet to be done for England to come close to the target.
Jos Buttler looked fluent from the word go, and with captain Harry Brook complimenting him well they put on 69 off 70 balls for the 5th wicket before Brook fell. Buttler was the aggressor of the two in this partnership. He then put on 40 off 36 balls with Will Jacks where once again he was the aggressor with Jacks playing second fiddle in this 6th wicket partnership. He came in at 147/4 and left England at 256/6 in 42.3 overs.
While he did a good job and played a fair enough knock, the problem was he did not finish the innings for England. He failed to perform the role of the finisher and left it to the other batters to do the job. They did try and take England close and took the match deep. But it was always going to be a big ask for them to do the job. Buttler the batter was in full view and much better than what he was in Game 1. But Buttler the finisher couldn’t quite work the magic for England in London.
Jos Buttler: The Finisher England Still Relies On
Jos Buttler is an all-time great limited overs player and is versatile. He can perform any roles asked by the team and in the ODIs he has to bat in the middle order according to the team’s needs. He has done that really well over the years and because he bats at 6 or 7 and sometimes 5, he has to sometimes do the dual role of setting it up and finishing the innings as well. While, he has done that with aplomb, yesterday, the finisher Buttler did not happen.
Coming in at the 25th over, Buttler had a job to do and to be fair he played well to score 61 off 51 balls. But when he went, it was the death overs, and England needed his services to finish things off in style. No matter even if Will Jacks bats at 7 and he is labelled the finisher, England’s actual finisher and has always been Jos Buttler. He has finished many games off for the hosts before, and England still rely on him to do that job even today. He might not be the captain anymore, but he is the designated finisher for sure.
It is sometimes hard being Buttler, but that’s how this game goes. Expectations are very high from the seasoned campaigner. While Root is expected to play the anchor role and hold the innings together, Buttler is expected to get himself in and then finish innings and he has the shots to do that. In T20Is, he bats in the top order, but here he is in the middle order. He can change the complexion of the game and England still depends on him to deliver the goods. He is capable even today to take the game away from the opposition and England hopes he does it soon.
What Lies Ahead
The stage is set for the third and final ODI in Southampton on Sunday September 7th at 3:30 PM IST which is a day game. England will hope to avoid the whitewash while South Africa who have a 3-0 lead in the series will be keen to inflict the whitewash on hosts England. Both teams won’t given an inch on Sunday.
Which team will come out on top at the end of Sunday? Only time will tell as we now have a couple of day’s break before the last match commences in Southampton before the T20I series which happens after that.
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