5th T20I: Win against India a big achievement; delighted with top ranking, says Buttler

Southampton, July 12 (IANS) England wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler expressed immense delight on securing a comprehensive 4-0 series sweep against India, which also propelled the hosts to the number one spot in the ICC Men’s T20I team rankings, adding that it’s a big achievement that came due to the contributions of all players.

Buttler, who roared back to form with a blistering 131 off 64 balls to claim the player-of-the-match award, stitched a massive 233-run second-wicket partnership with Brook (95 not out) to guide England to a colossal 257/3 in the fifth and final T20I here at The Rose Bowl on Saturday.

“Delighted. Had a lean patch for a bit. Happy to be back to my best. Always feel due, just the World Cup actually. Felt good about my game in the IPL, something about putting on the England shirt. Harry’s incredible, putting incredible pressure on bowlers. Gotta give yourself time, belief, and trust in your game.

“We were going for as many as possible. We got twos on this big ground, which helped construct big overs. Good pitch too, we needed the runs too. Great team performance, to win 4-0 against India is a big achievement. Different players have made great contributions across disciplines, which is the most pleasing thing for the guys,” Buttler said at the post-match presentation.

Brook, who became Player of the Series for hitting 229 runs in four innings, lauded his bowling unit, particularly the spinners, for executing the plans perfectly and added that he enjoyed batting with Buttler.

“We had a lot of fun. Ran well, hit boundaries, and complemented each other. We were just trying to get ourselves into the best position we could. Cricket is a simple game we complicate. Just watched the ball and played the best shot for it. I’m striking the ball nicely.

“We’ve got ourselves to World No. 1, which was a game after a couple of games. All boys are delighted, and we deserve to celebrate. You have to create pace on the ball while hitting the spill. We have spinners with nous and have the ability to make batters think. We’ve bowled a lot of spin, and they’ve been exceptional. We’ve communicated really well in the last 12 months, and we’ve executed things really well,” he concluded.

–IANS

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