Because he guided England to victory in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2022, Jos Buttler has a spotless record as a captain in ICC limited overs events. He has never been eliminated from a tournament.
Now, the hard-hitting middle-order batsman will want to add one-day success to his T20 championship as England attempts to maintain their title in India. That was his first campaign in charge, and he will look to add one-day success to his T20 crown.
Buttler was the obvious choice to take over in both forms of white-ball cricket after Eoin Morgan, who was responsible for bringing the squad together and leading them to such a strong performance on home soil in 2019, announced his retirement.
Who better than the team’s most destructive batter to lead from the front on a side that was characterised by its offensive strategy and desire to influence matches?
Buttler’s tenure as captain has been fruitful up to this point. In Twenty20 cricket, his record with the bat is somewhat better when he is captain than when he is not wearing the captain’s armband. In one-day internationals, the gap is far more pronounced. Buttler’s batting average climbs to an already remarkable 45.21 after being given the additional burden of leading the side. His previous average was 40.67.
That is perhaps the single most significant thing to happen during the reign of the Buttler. It was essential for him to maintain his production with the bat given his status as perhaps the most important player for England.
Buttler can win games on his own regardless of whether or not he is the captain. His 11 hundreds in one-day internationals are the most by any active player batting at No. 4 or below, and nine of those hundreds led to successful outcomes for his team.
Buttler is the exemplar of leadership, while Morgan was the federator. This England team is epitomised by his daring attitude to playing the game.
Buttler’s dominant attitude while playing against the white ball seems to have been the inspiration for England’s red-ball strategy, despite the fact that he has not been a part of the Bazball revolution in Test cricket.
Buttler never fails to impress, even when it comes to the most important matches or the largest stages. It was four years ago that he saved his most important innings for the final at Lord’s, making 59 as he and Ben Stokes put on 110 for the fifth wicket that allowed England to rebuild and take the match to a Super Over. He was England’s leading run-scorer at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in both 2021 and 2022. He was also England’s leading run-scorer at both of those tournaments.
The one thing that stands out about his One-Day International record is how he has performed in India up to this point. In eight matches played on Indian soil, he has scored 83 runs at an average of less than 12, which is a puzzling performance.
At first glance, it could seem as if this is a cause for worry in light of the fact that the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 will be held exclusively in India.
But if you take a few steps back, you’ll notice that those fears start to go away. First, since Buttler has not had any difficulties of this kind when playing Twenty20 cricket for England in Indian conditions, where he has a batting average of 42.60.
And secondly, because he has shown himself to be one of the best foreign players in the Indian Premier League over the course of the last several years.
Buttler, who has been a staple at the top of the order for Rajasthan Royals, is third on the list of IPL players with the most hundreds of runs, behind only Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle.
Buttler’s struggles in one-day internationals (ODIs) played in India up to this point would seem to be more of an anomaly brought on by the sample size being so tiny, assuming the circumstances are not a factor.
Buttler has such a single-minded desire, and his attitude to the game is so bold, that there is no reason to believe that he won’t be able to turn around his record over the course of the next month and a half.
Everything will get off with the first match on October 5 in Ahmedabad, which is against New Zealand. Expect Buttler to lead from the front as England attempts to defend their championship. Four years have passed since Buttler played a pivotal role in England’s victory against the Black Caps, which resulted in England being the first team to hoist the trophy.