T20 World Cup 2021: [Watch] England's Jos Buttler smashes last-ball six to bring up first 100 of the tournament
England opener Jos Buttler(101*) hit a six off the final delivery of the first innings against Sri Lanka to bring up the first hundred of the 2021 T20 World Cup. It was also his maiden T20I century. Buttler now holds the distinction of reaching a three-figure mark in all three formats of the game.
The English team struggled at 47/3 after ten overs. However, Jos Buttler did not panic at this stage. He continued to build a crucial partnership with skipper Eoin Morgan to take England to a safe position in a gradual manner.
Jos Buttler was watchful while facing the spin bowlers but was ruthless against the pace bowlers. His 67-ball knock comprised six sixes and as many fours. The ICC gave fans a glimpse of Jos Buttler's milestone celebrations by sharing a video on their official Instagram handle. They captioned it:
TAKE A BOW JOS BUTTLER 💯 A special innings from the England opener who reaches a century on the final ball of the innings. #T20WorldCup | #ENGvSL
You can watch Jos Buttler's milestone reaching moment below:
On the back of Buttler's sensational knock, England reached a competitive total of 163/4 after 20 overs. Eoin Morgan also returned to form by scoring a crucial 40 off 36 deliveries.
The partnership of Morgan and Buttler was mature: Paul Collingwood
England's assistant coach Paul Collingwood reckoned that Buttler and Morgan assessed the conditions well and played maturely to take their team to a decent total. Speaking to the broadcaster after the first innings, Collingwood reviewed England's batting effort and said:
"Tonight we witnessed a very very special T20 innings from a special player. We were actually in trouble after the first 10 overs. But getting 116 in the next 10 makes it all the more special. It is a difficult pitch, the ball isn't coming on. But we will still have to go out there and bowl well in the second innings.
'I thought the partnership of Morgan and Buttler was mature as they took their time and assessed the wicket and then they scored runs in the end."
This is why @josbuttler at the moment is the best .. He reads the pitch & conditions brilliantly & adapts .. #T20WorldCup
There will be dew in the second innings, so Sri Lanka still have a chance to use it to their advantage. Their team management will be hoping that their batters play sensibly and chase down this target of 164.
Check out the list of T20 World Cup commentators here.