England will be counting on Jos Buttler to perform well in the second T20 World Cup semi-final against India at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday despite his recent poor form in the ICC tournament. The 35-year-old opener has not found consistent form in major tournaments in recent years but the team continues to back his experience.
Buttler has had a tough time in the 2023 ODI World Cup in India and has not made a major impact in the ongoing T20 World Cup so far. In this country, he has achieved high numbers in the IPL including the 2025 season. In his last four ICC events – the 2023 ODI World Cup, the 2024 T20 World Cup, last year’s Champions Trophy and this T20 World Cup – he has scored only one score of 50 or more.
In this tournament, especially in Sri Lanka, the pace of the ball is slower and does not suit his approach.
Two days before the Mumbai semifinals, Butler practiced with the Nets for about an hour, focusing on facing spin. As he considered his options, Adil Rashid, Will Jacks and Liam Dawson bowled to him. He practiced hard sweeps against Rashid, struck directly at left-arm spinner Dawson, and targeted the horns when Jacks bowled. He later suffered a fall on the other side of the main square.
Before the match, all-rounder Sam Curran expressed his confidence in Buttler.
“Jos is someone I’m very close to. He obviously wants more runs. But I would certainly rather have Jos Buttler in my squad than play against him on a Thursday night. I think he’s a very good player. He’s done a great job for us over the years.
“He’s been great in that area a lot of times as well. So hopefully Thursday night is his night. But if not, there’s no doubt he’s one of the best players in the world.
“So him and Solti (Phil), it’s a dangerous opening partnership. I think we’re hoping on Thursday night they can get us off to a really good start. There’s no doubt he’s going to be good and we’re not worried about him at all,” Curran added.
England captain Harry Brooke also spoke out in support of Buttler after the match against New Zealand in Colombo.
“There is a lot of talk about Jos. I said the other day that he has played 150 (154) games (T20Is) for England and people might need to take a step back. He is probably the best white-ball player to have ever played the game.
“He’s a little bit old school right now, but I think it’s going to be an exciting thing for everybody in the world to know what he can create in the next few games,” Brook said.
For now, England remain firmly behind their senior batsmen ahead of the semi-finals.
