CT 2017, Match 6, England v New Zealand: CT Player of the Match - Jos Buttler

A score in excess of 300 seems like a basic necessity for teams batting first in the ICC Champions Trophy this year, the only exception being Bangladesh. The trend that was set in the warm-ups leading up to the main event has been dutifully followed. England took no chances against a sturdy New Zealand side and thought it only fit to post a 300+ total to make the Kiwis sweat it out for a victory. However, Kane Williamson was the lone warrior in an otherwise drab chase.

In breezy Cardiff, Buttler breezed past the fifty-run mark coming in at no.6. He was given the license to go all out after Alex Hales and Joe Root set up a steady platform for England. Though both Hales and Root reached their respective fifties, Hales once again gave it away after smashing a six downtown, and Root was done in by all-rounder Corey Anderson.

Jos Buttler comes in to accelerate

Buttler walked in to replace Ben Stokes as England were at 210/5 in the 38th over. Under the given circumstances, 300 would have perhaps seemed a bit far-fetched for England, but the smasher ensured England were well clear of the milestone.

The wicketkeeper-batsman survived an LBW shout first up, but a bottom edge allowed him to remain at the crease. Buttler maintained a scoring rate of 100, as he kept rotating the strike with singles. However, he watched from the other end as first Ben Stokes fell, followed by Moeen Ali. The onus was entirely on Buttler to carry the England innings forward, as he was the side’s last recognised batsman.

Buttler’s trademark ramp shot

At the start of the 45th over, Buttler was on 36 off 32 and had struck just 2 boundaries up until that point. He shifted gears with just under 5 overs to go and picked Trent Boult to execute a perfect ramp shot. Buttler had whipped out his very own version of what would be a Dil-scoop-meets-McCullum shot. The only difference was that Buttler’s shot seemed far safer – certainly safer than Dilshan scooping someone like Mitchell Starc right above his grill, or Brendon McCullum throwing everything out of the way to send a Shaun Tait delivery 50 meters behind the wicketkeeper.

Enough said about Buttler’s ramp, which incidentally earned England six valuable runs. The next biggie, however, was sheer power from the batter. A step away, and he hammered Adam Milne with a flat bat over long-off. That authoritative whack also brought up his fifty. With 3 overs left, and England already on 291, 300 looked very gettable for the hosts.

Buttler finished with an unbeaten 61 off 48 and would have considered himself unlucky to have watched from the other end as the last two English batsmen fell. England were bowled out for 310 with 3 balls to spare in the final over. Considering the way he was hitting the ball, Buttler could have easily added another 10 runs for England had he faced the entirety of the 50th over.

As it turned out, 310 was more than enough for England, who cantered to an 87-run victory over the Kiwis. In retrospect, the complexion of England’s first innings underwent a change with Jos Buttler at the crease. He was also kept busy behind the stumps in the second innings, as he completed a simple catch to remove the dangerous Kane Williamson. Don’t forget his stumping to get rid of Mitchell Santner. Buttler deserves a round of applause for his all-round performance in a comfortable victory for hosts England. It is only fitting he receives the CT Player of the Match award as well.