Batsman basks in ‘pure elation’ of unlikely win

Jos Buttler described winning a lost cause for England as even more enjoyable than his big-hitting feats as his coolness under pressure ensured Australia were whitewashed 5-0.

England have only ever whitewashed Zimbabwe in a five-match series before but reinforced their standing as the world’s No 1 team by thrashing Australia for the second time in one-day cricket this year.

Buttler was man of the series, his match-winning 110 off 122 balls rounding off a series that included 91 in Cardiff and very accomplished performances behind the stumps.

The hitter of England’s fastest ODI hundred, he played the straight man in this one-wicket win, rescuing the team from 27 for four and 114 for eight to win by the slimmest of margins with support from batsmen 10 and 11, Adil Rashid and Jake Ball. It was a far cry from the worldrecord Trent Bridge 481.

“It was a very enjoyable innings,” he said. “When you’re out there, you think, ‘All I need to be is here at the end’ and planning from then on.

“It’s pure elation hitting the winning runs and coming off winning games you don’t deserve to. They are almost the more enjoyable ones.

“It’s a good habit, knowing how to win and finding a way to win when you probably shouldn’t. Adil Rashid played a fantastic hand, and so did Jake Ball. He soaked it up and handled it brilliantly. I had a lot of faith in Rash. As soon as we got to 30 or 40 to win, I thought we could take it all the way.

“We weren’t as good as we could be, but to win is all that counts. That will stand us in good stead.”

Eoin Morgan, the England captain, tried to play down the relevance of the whitewash, knowing his team are still a year away from the challenge that really matters, the World Cup.

“Winning 5-0 is not something we speak about,” he said. “We’ve learnt a lot throughout the series. At Trent Bridge we found a new gear. We’ve progressed, and to win 5-0 is pretty special.”