Cricket: Buttler saves the day
Just when England were wobbling, Jos Buttler came to the rescue, said Paul Newman in the Daily Mail. The team needed to win their fifth one-day international (ODI) to seal a first 5-0 demolition of Australia in any format. And it started well, with a “close to perfect performance” in the field that bowled out the Australians for only 205. Yet England made “a complete Horlicks of what should have been a routine chase”, crashing to 114 for eight. At that point, it looked as if even a batsman as talented as Buttler would be incapable of turning the match around. But what followed was a 110 not out that was “indubitably the best century” he has produced. It was one of the great ODI performances, said John Westerby in The Times. Buttler is famed for “spectacular strokeplay”; on this occasion, however, he put in a patient innings, showing that there is far more to his game than “destructive pyrotechnics”.
What a series this has been, said George Dobell on Espncricinfo. There was so much to savour: in the third match England scored 481, a world record for an ODI; in the fourth, they achieved their second highest ODI run-chase, hitting 314. Four batsmen – Buttler, Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow and Alex Hales – scored at least one century during the series, while the top four wicket-takers – Adil Rashid, Moeen Ali, Liam Plunkett and David Willey – were all English. England have now won ten of their last 11 ODIS against the Australians, the current world champions. But let’s not get carried away, said Nick Hoult in The Daily Telegraph. This was a young, inexperienced Australia side, “trying to rebuild after a scandal that has stripped the team of its best players”. The true test will come next month, with an ODI series against India – a team with a deadly bowling attack. Only then will we know if England have what it takes to win next year’s World Cup.