The 2026 T20 World Cup is a campaign to remember for England senior batsman Jos Buttler. The veteran right-hander allowed just 62 runs in seven innings, including five straight single-digit runs. He started the tournament scoring 26 against Nepal and 21 against West Indies, but his results dropped sharply thereafter.
His struggles continued in the Super 8s against New Zealand in Colombo when he was dismissed for falling behind Rocky Ferguson. In the past five games against Scotland, Italy, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and New Zealand, Butler has scored 3 points, 3 points, 7 points, 2 points and 0 points respectively, with a total of only 15 points.
Despite the circumstances, England captain Harry Brooke has given his full support to his predecessor. Brooke urged critics to consider Buttler’s long-term contribution to English cricket and even described him as the best white-ball player in the game.
“There’s been a lot of buzz about Jos. I said the other day that he played 150 matches for England in T20Is and people might need to take a step back a little bit. He’s probably the best white-ball player of all time. He’s a little bit stuck in a rut at the moment but I think it’s going to be exciting for everyone in the world to know what he can do in the next few games,” Brooke said in his post-match speech.
“He obviously has a lot of fire inside him and he wants to go out and show everyone what he’s got. Look, he’s averaging 145 and hitting 34 times in 150 games. He’s a phenomenal player and I have no doubt he’s going to do well,” he added.
Ben Duckett could be an alternative if England choose to change. Brooke’s comments, however, suggest Buttler will feature in next week’s semi-finals in Mumbai against either India or the West Indies.
The decline in form is not limited to this tournament. In England Internationals and S20s, Buttler managed just a half-century in the last 24 innings. His last fifty in an ICC event was during the 2024 T20 World Cup when he scored an unbeaten 83 against the United States.
