India vs England: Jos Buttler smashes his 26th T20I fifty
What's the story
Skipper Jos Buttler was lone warrior for England in the 1st T20I against India at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Buttler's half-century kept England afloat after they were down to 83/5 at one stage. While Buttler was the only Englishman to score 20-plus runs, only two other batters scored in double-figures. Buttler, England's leading run-scorer in T20Is, raced to his 26th half-century.
Knock
A fine knock from Buttler
Buttler truly made a statement despite India's dominance, in Kolkata. On a wicket where all of his compatriots struggled, he led from the front. He was devoid of a well-deserved century only because of the pressure to score from one end. Buttler hammered a 44-ball 68, a knock laced with 8 fours and 2 sixes. Varun Chakravarthy dismissed him in the 17th over.
Stats
Buttler climbs among T20I run-scorers
As mentioned, Buttler raced to his 26th half-century in T20I cricket. The England captain surpassed Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan (3,414) to become the sixth-highest run-scorer in the format. In a career spanning over a decade, Buttler has slammed 3,451 runs from 130 T20Is at an average of 36.32. His strike-rate of 147.03 is the highest among the top-six highest run-scorers in the format.
Information
Buttler fancies playing in Kolkata
Buttler fancies playing at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata. A look at his T20 knocks at this venue, as per Cricbuzz - 36 (22), 41 (22), 39 (22), 89 (56), 0 (3), 107*(60), and 50*(34).