Friday, November 22, 2024

England in West Indies: Jos Buttler smashes brilliant 83 as tourists win second T20

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The decision to move Buttler down to number three after so much success as an opener for England raised a few eyebrows.

But given he was in to face the second ball of the innings after Salt, a day on from his century in the first T20, chipped Akeal Hosein to cover first ball, the England skipper might as well have been opening.

After a golden duck of his own on Saturday, Buttler made a careful start and it was Jacks who got things started as England upped the tempo late in the powerplay.

From the moment he clobbered Shepherd for a huge straight six in the sixth over, with a pair of boundaries either side, Buttler then led the charge.

The 34-year-old picked his moments to attack but did so with complete conviction when he did.

He hammered Gudakesh Motie onto the roof of the stadium and clubbed Chase into stands to bring up a 32-ball fifty.

When he nailed back-to-back maximums off Chase a couple of overs later, an England victory seemed assured, as did a Buttler hundred.

However, he skied a slower ball from Shepherd in the next over and was denied second T20 international ton.

Livingstone came in and smacked an unbeaten 23 from 11 balls to get the job done in a hurry for England.

Relinquishing the wicketkeeping gloves and moving to bat at three were the big decisions made by Buttler before this series and it remains to be seen whether they were the right calls in the long run.

But with two wins from two and a now trademark, swashbuckling innings, the early signs are certainly positive.

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