Now Buttler has stamped his authority as captain

Jos shows he can lead team to glory

ENGLAND’S win over new Zealand on Tuesday kept them right in the hunt for the World Cup and was Jos Buttler’s most complete display as captain. It was his 100th T20 international and it couldn’t have gone any better. The key in this tournament for Buttler and England is to react to what is in front of them and not what has happened in previous games. and Buttler was spot-on in that regard at the gabba.

When England moved from Perth, where they beat afghanistan, to Melbourne, where they lost to Ireland, they didn’t react quickly enough. What worked in Perth did not work in Melbourne, but when Buttler got to Brisbane he looked at a worn pitch and decided to bat first.

England preferred to chase under Eoin Morgan but the stats show they are good batting first, so after Buttler won the toss, he had to go out and be his side’s best batter. alex Hales set the tone but when he was out Buttler was outstanding.

After two quiet games here, he showed why he is one of the best. There was flexibility in the batting order, too, which saw Moeen ali and liam livingstone move up and England post an above-par total of 179 for six.

PICKING KEY MATCH-UPS

WHAT impressed me most was Buttler the captain in the field, especially in his choice of bowlers at every stage. I used to think that Buttler was not one for the ‘match-ups’ in T20 that Morgan was so big on.

Jos seemed to work more on gut feel when he stood in for Morgan but there was evidence here that he is starting to lead more like his predecessor. Buttler knew Finn allen likes pace on the ball and he saw a turning pitch, so he opened with Moeen, a decision he said he had only made after batting.

There was appreciable turn for Moeen and he almost dismissed devon Conway twice, but Moeen was not used again because new Zealand ended up with a lot of right-handers on strike.

Then the moment Conway was out, Buttler brought on adil Rashid during the power-play against two right-handers, one of whom, Kane Williamson, has had a low strike-rate against spin. Jos remembered there was a shorter boundary at the gabba and he adapted his plans perfectly. That included bringing on his fastest bowler, Mark Wood, for the 16th over to make sure England would not be bullied by Jimmy neesham and it brought his big wicket.

It was exactly the situation they faced against new Zealand in last year’s semi-final in abu dhabi, when Chris Jordan bowled an over that went for 23 and England lost. now, alongside Wood, Buttler has a death bowler in sam Curran who is firing.

COOL HEAD AT THE DEATH

BUTTLER is proving flexible. Morgan would have his regular

death bowlers but Jos can vary it depending on who’s on strike and which boundary they are targeting.

Jos has a lot more on his plate than Eoin. He not only keeps wicket — and his glovework has been exceptional — but he opens the batting and that’s not easy after doing the toss and all the interviews before a game. He is thrust straight into the action whether England are batting or in the field.

He does wear his heart on his sleeve. Morgan was unflustered, an ice man. You could never tell what he was thinking. In contrast you can look into Buttler’s eyes and know if England are doing well or not.

BUILDING TEAM CONFIDENCE

BUTTLER doesn’t bluff and nor should he. I like his honesty, such as when he made no excuses after the defeat by Ireland. He was sending a message to his team that it wasn’t good enough. And now Buttler has had a great game as captain, we can only hope that carries through to tomorrow against Sri lanka.

Morgan was a hard act to follow but it hasn’t taken long for this to feel like Buttler’s team. And that performance as captain would have given him and his side so much confidence. If Buttler can continue to handle those pressure situations, he could win a World Cup in his first tournament as captain.