NEWS
Follow UsJos Buttler played one of the finest innings by an Englishman in T20Is, by slamming a century against Sri Lanka on the tough deck of Sharjah. With England losing three wickets inside powerplay, Buttler had to play the role of an anchor, which he did in a great fashion to take the side to 164. That he ended up with a strike rate over 150 is a testament to his quality.
"We showed a lot of character. Obviously, conditions changed quite a bit and Tymal picked up an injury as well. Guys stepped up really well. I found it tough early on, the spinners were especially tricky with the low bounce and they were hard to get away. So I'm really pleased to keep a calm head and work through it, back myself to come good at the end and start to target certain bowlers and at certain ends with a shorter side on one side," Buttler told Mike Atherton for a conversation with Sky Sports.
"I felt like I used a lot of experience. I remember saying a while ago, if I can put both parts of my game together then I think I'll be getting in a really good place with my T20 batting. I've had a lot of experience batting in the middle and to put that together with the top, I can back myself to catch up at certain times and the death hitting of my game which is a strength."
England skipper Eoin Morgan is going through a rough patch in his career and runs have eluded him very much. However, when the team needed him the most, he stepped up to the occasion and forged a 112-run partnership with Buttler to keep England ahead in the game. Buttler praised his skipper for his composure.
"Experience helps a lot to remaining calm in those situations and it was great to have Morgs at the other end, someone I enjoy batting with a lot and we worked through it together there. He never shows too much emotion and never looks like he's down about things. He certainly enjoyed getting a few out of the middle. He'll feel great for that. It was an incredibly great knock.
"Being three down when it's tough to come in and start, and when you've had a run of low scores it's probably not the place you want to come and bat. I thought he showed a lot of character and remained calm, which is one of his greatest assets and I thought it was a brilliant partnership we put together," the wicket-keeper batter added.
England will now take on South Africa at the same venue on November 6 (Saturday) - a game that may well decide the table-toppers.