England’s Jos Buttler etched his name into T20 World Cup history during the ongoing semi-final against India at the Providence Stadium in Guyana. Buttler’s knock not only propelled England‘s chase but also saw him become the fourth player to reach the coveted mark of 1000 runs in the prestigious tournament.
Buttler Enters the 1000-Run Club
Prior to Buttler’s achievement, only three other batsmen had reached the 1000-run milestone in the T20 World Cup: Indian stalwarts Virat Kohli (1216 runs) and Rohit Sharma (1211 runs), and Sri Lankan legend Mahela Jayawardene (1016 runs). Buttler’s current tally stands at 1013 runs.
Buttler’s impressive record in the T20 World Cup spans several editions. He began with a modest 40 runs in 2012, followed by 74 runs in 2014. His performance peaked in 2016 with a remarkable 191 runs, followed by 269 runs in 2021 and 225 runs in 2022. In the ongoing 2024 edition, he has accumulated 214 runs so far.
India Sets Target of 172
Earlier, India set a target of 172 runs for England to chase. Their batting innings, however, got off to a shaky start with the dismissal of Virat Kohli for just 9 runs. Rishabh Pant‘s quick dismissal for 4 runs further dented India’s momentum, leaving them at a precarious 40-2 after just 5.2 overs.
A crucial 73-run partnership between Suryakumar Yadav and Rohit Sharma provided much-needed stability for India. Sharma reached his half-century but fell victim to Adil Rashid‘s googly, departing with a well-made 57. Yadav, unfortunately, missed out on his fifty by a mere 3 runs before being dismissed by Jofra Archer.
India’s batting innings saw a flurry of wickets in quick succession. Hardik Pandya (23 off 13) and Shivam Dube (0 off 1) couldn’t capitalize, while Ravindra Jadeja (17 off 9) and Axar Patel (10 off 6) provided a late surge, propelling India to a total of 171 runs.
England’s Reply Starts Aggressively But Stumbles
England’s chase began on a promising note, with Buttler leading the charge. He raced to a quick 23 runs in the third over before Axar Patel brought his innings to an end. At the time of writing, England finds themselves at 49/5 after 8.5 overs, with the match hanging in the balance.
The match promises to be a nail-biter, with England needing 123 runs from 66 balls with just 5 wickets remaining. Will England be able to bounce back or can India defend their total? The cricket world watches with anticipation.
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