Brutal Buttler goes ballistic in Bloemfontein

Keeper's stunning century sets up England triumph

English players haven’t had the best of rides at previous Indian Premier League auctions.

Whether it be entering the bidding at too high a price or being unable to commit for a length of time deemed necessary by the franchises, the subcontinent riches have routinely gone elsewhere.

That may change come this weekend when the powers that be gather to throw their money around with a certain Jos Buttler one of the players up for grabs.

The Lancashire man, who has been given the blessing of his England paymasters to spend a few weeks in Kolkata and Bangalore rather than negotiating the early-season pitches in the County Championship, chose the ideal time to advertise his talents with a blistering century in the first one-day international against South Africa.

At Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein, Buttler helped himself to a characteristically brisk 105 his fourth ODI century - all of which have come in less then 75 deliveries – as the tourists powered their way to 399 for 9 in their 50-over allocation which represented their highest on foreign soil in this format.

Granted the ideal quarter of the captain calling correctly, a very flat, easy-paced surface, stupidly short boundaries and an opposition bowling attack well short of the required standard, England made hay, and plenty of it, with Buttler leading the charge.

Sent in at No.4 after Jason Roy (48), Alex Hales (57) and Joe Root (52) had provided the ideal platform, Buttler displayed his full repertoire of deft glances and violentbottom-handed clouts.

None of the home attack were spared as their lack of a fifth specialist bowler – JP Duminy and Farhaan Behardien’s combined 10 overs went for 93 – was cruelly exposed.

Ninety-seven was added with a relatively sedate Root before both Eoin Morgan and Ben Stokes played second fiddle as Buttler powered to three figures.

Stokes then found his range with a glut of boundaries and although he departed with three overs of potential mayhem ahead, the scoreboard still inexorably closed in on the 400 mark.

Chases of such length tend to go one of two ways; the side doing the chasing get very close or even reach their target (The Wanderers a decade ago might ring a bell) or fall dismally short as the wind has already been taken out of their sails.

In the hosts’ case, that they were in with a shout at all was almost solely down to the efforts of Quinton de Kock.

The opener plundered an unbeaten 138 from just 96 balls and while he and Faf du Plessis were going full tilt, a few English thoughts may have wandered into ‘what if?’ territory.

At 151 for 2 before 20 overs had been served up, the balance was only marginally in England’s favour but it tilted a fraction further when Stokes took a remarkable one-handed catch on the long-on boundary to intercept an AB de Villiers swat off Moeen Ali.

After that, and with rain looking increasingly likely, it was a tall ask and although de Kock kept up his side of the bargain, when the heavens finally opened South Africa were 39 runs shy of the par total.