England have semi on after Jos blast
CRICKET: T20 WORLD CUP
JOS Buttler is in the form of his life as England head for the T20 World Cup semifinals.
The wicketkeeper hit his first ton in the format as Sri Lanka were brushed aside.
That made it four wins on the spin for the Three Lions. They are almost certain to now make the semi-finals.
Buttler took 67 balls to bring up three figures in a quality innings that pulled England out of the mire.
And he was delighted with the way he kept his head when the Three Lions lost early wickets.
Buttler said: “I think staying patient and keeping my head. I found it really tough early on. I managed to get a really good partnership going with Morgs and we tried to attack the back end.
“We were just trying to get something going, were finding the spin bowlers a bit tricky and thought 120 might be a good score.
“We each tried to take the small side and target that and I really enjoyed batting with Morgs.”
Buttler brought up his ton in style with a six from the final ball of the innings.
And that made the milestone all the sweeter.
Buttler said: “I was trying to guess where he was going to bowl to be honest. I was pretty calm.
“But I think at that stage I’d batted for a long time, just staying patient and hoping he will miss.”
Skipper Eoin Morgan paid tribute to his bighitter.
He said: “It was incredible to be at the other end and watch just the ebb and flow, and then just the sheer domination at the end. He really is one of the best in the game, a privilege to play with and great to have in our team.
“A combination of unbelievable skill level and the calm nature in which he goes about it. He combines them along with reading the game, knowing where and when to score. If he gets on top, he punishes you.”