Jos Buttler hails fielding effort after England victory

Jason Roy and Buttler were both responsible for buying wickets for their side with fine pieces of work at a crucial stage in the game

England’s work in the field during their victory over Sri Lanka showed the team’s “selfless attitude”, explained Jos Buttler after starring in a hard-fought win to maintain their perfect start to the T20 World Cup.

After losing the toss in a competition where much has been made of the advantage for chasing teams, it was little surprise that Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka opted to field first on the basis that the late-evening dew in Sharjah might significantly alter conditions as the game wore on, making life more difficult for the team bowling second.

His forecast was proven right, with England bowling out Adil Rashid’s overs early to give him the best chance of having an impact, before the moisture on the outfield became such that Eoin Morgan had to summon a replacement towel to dry the ball. Meanwhile, Tymal Mills – who has endured such a unfortunate time with injuries – hobbled off with a right quad issue, forcing England to get creative with their bowling plans as a close game reached boiling point.

However, Moeen Ali and Liam Livingstone shared three crucial overs at the back-end of proceedings, while Chris Jordan continued his own fine tournament with a terrific display. They were matched in the field, though, with Jason Roy and Buttler himself both responsible for buying wickets for their side with fine pieces of work at a crucial stage in the game.

“The level we’ve set in the field has been great throughout this tournament so far,” he said. “We’ve saved a number of runs, we’ve created chances. I think that shows the selfless attitude of the group. Fielding is one of those things that you do for the team, even more so than the other disciplines in the game.

“I think it was a great win for us as a team. To think that in the three matches before, we’ve won the toss and done what we wanted to do, today to be on the worse end of conditions and show the character that we did as a side – I think what that will do for us as a side is fantastic.”

^{Jos Buttler brought up his hundred off just 67 balls}

Roy dived to his left on the long-off boundary to catch Wanindu Hasaranga, before offloading the ball to Sam Billings as he threatened to slide into the boundary rope. Two balls later, Shanaka was sent back by Chamika Karunaratne as he attempted a quick single, only for Buttler to throw the stumps down. That moment, he added afterwards, gave him more joy than a remarkable century earlier in the piece, when he moved from a 45-ball fifty to a hundred off the final ball of England’s innings, in the process becoming the first man to reach three figures in all three formats for the country.

“To put in a performance in a World Cup – and they’re all must-win games in this tournament – I’m delighted,” he said. “I’m delighted to have come through the innings as well; there were periods when I was finding it tricky. I used my experience and stayed patient and trusted that it would come at some point in the innings.

“Setting a target, the game isn’t laid out for you. Especially if you’re finding it tricky and soaking up dot-balls, you can put yourself under a bit of pressure. But I believed that at some point I’d come good.”

He admitted to struggling to pick leg-spinner Hasaranga, whose googly accounted for Roy and Jonny Bairstow, and mystery finger-spinner Maheesh Theekshana. But together with Morgan, who began slowly and at one point had made just nine off 20 balls before falling for 40 off 36, Buttler fashioned a partnership worth 112 runs in 13 overs to change the course of the match.

Buttler praised his skipper, who came into the competition in no kind of form, having struggled so badly at the Indian Premier League that some were questioning whether he was worth his place in England’s team. As batter and captain, though, he quashed any such thoughts in Sharjah, following his knock with a fine tactical showing in the field.

“I thought he played fantastically well,” said Buttler. “The position he bats in T20 cricket, form is a bit of a myth. Today he showed immense character, he was very patient, he soaked up balls and gave himself enough time to get used to conditions. We managed to put together a great partnership.

^{Tymal Mills left the field injured after nine balls}

“It’s never easy coming in when you’ve lost early wickets, but he certainly enjoyed getting a few out of the middle today and we’re all delighted when we see him play that way.

“We tried to soak up the pressure and build a partnership when we were finding it tricky. Generally, if you’re finding it hard, the guys behind you would find it hard work as well. So, we didn’t panic and we allowed ourselves time. We took the options against the bowlers we felt more comfortable against and at the ends we felt more comfortable against, with one shorter side.”

Having discussed during the innings merely reaching 120 to give themselves a fighting chance, Buttler’s assault launched England to 163 for 4.

“I think sometimes when you set your sights a bit lower, it allows you to stay a bit calmer,” he explained. “We felt that if we did get in and kept extending the partnership, they would come to us, and we’d be able to accelerate. The depth we have in the team does allow you to play with freedom at the same time.”

RELATED STORIES

Jos Buttler century helps England to victory over Sri Lanka

Injury concern for Tymal Mills as fast bowler hurts quad

Subscribe to The Cricketer for exclusive content every day: The inside track on England's Test tour with George Dobell in Pakistan, award-winning analysis, breaking news and interviews and the only place for in-depth county coverage all year round. Plus: An ad-free app experience at your fingertips. Subscribe to thecricketer.com today for just £1.