Captain Jos Buttler, on his return to national duties following his stint with Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, starred for the England cricket team in its victory over Pakistan in the second T20 match in Birmingham on Saturday.
The first of the four-match series, part of Pakistan’s 2024 tour of England, in Leeds was washed out on Wednesday.
Opening the batting, Buttler top-scored in the second match with 84 runs in 51 balls at a strike rate of 164.70. He forged a 71-run stand with Will Jacks for the second wicket to lay the foundation of the innings.
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Buttler made a slow start to his innings, scoring 19 runs off the first 17 balls. However, after the powerplay ended, the Englishman cut loose, smashing 26 in the next 10 deliveries. He brought his fifty in 34 balls with a scoop off Haris Rauf towards fine leg.
When he reached 73, Buttler became the first batter to reach 3000 runs for England in T20 cricket.
The 33-year-old Buttler, who later kept wickets in the match, hit eight fours and three sixes during his stay at the crease. He was dismissed in the 18th over after he holed out in the deep off Haris Rauf’s bowling. England, however, scored a solid 183/7 in their 20 overs.
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Shaheen Shah Afridi picked up 3/36 in his spell and Imad Wasim bagged 2/19 in his quota of four overs. In the chase, Pakistan were all out for 160 with Fakhar Zaman top-scoring for his side with 45.
Reece Topley bagged 3/41 while Jofra Archer and Moeen Ali took two wickets each. England won the match by 23 runs and took a 1-0 lead in the series.
"You always want to be playing well,” said Buttler, who was named Player of the Match. “I feel like I'm hitting the ball well, which is great."
The third England vs Pakistan T20 match will be played on Tuesday at Cardiff.
