Gujarat Titans’ Jos Buttler. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

England Adil Rashid play a shot during the second T20 match at MAC Stadium in Chennai on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: Ragu R

England skipper Jos Buttler sees veteran leg-spinner Adil Rashid as the team’s most important player in the T20 setup after his special skills were on display in the third match against India here.

Rashid put up a masterclass of leg-spin to help England pull one back in the five-match series. He varied his pace beautifully and got the ball to turn a lot more than all other spinners in operation on Tuesday night.

The India batters were not even looking for boundaries against Rashid who ended up with figures of one for 15 in four overs. He applied the choke in the middle overs alongside Jamie Overton and got rid of in-form Tilak Varma with a peach of a delivery.

Even in Chennai during the second T20I, Rashid conceded less than four runs per over.

Following the 26-run win, Buttler couldn’t gush enough about the 36-year-old, who has been playing T20 Internationals since 2009.

“He’s the most important player for us, and he always just seems to keep getting better. He’s got so many different styles of bowling, he’s got so much variety.

“One of his great skills is that the first couple of balls he bowls, he seems to work out exactly how he needs to bowl on that wicket, and yeah, he’s an absolute trump card to have as a captain, so yeah, he’s been brilliant the last couple of games,” said Buttler in his post-match press conference.

England had the Indian batters under the pump even in the previous game but Varma’s individual brilliance got the home team over the line.

The visitors were even sharper with the ball on Tuesday and were able to defend 171 comfortably. Besides Rashid, pacer Overton also kept the batters quiet with his variations.

“Yeah, it’s the beauty of being an all-rounder, isn’t it? He (Overton) missed out tonight with the bat, but still impacts the game so much with the ball, so yeah, we know he’ll come good, he’s been playing great for a while now, and he’s a really dangerous hitter with the ball.

“…so the more he’s out here as well, exposed to these conditions, he’s just going to improve all the time, and as I say, guys who can affect the game in all three facets are gold dust,” Buttler, who also praised another all-rounder Brydon Carse.

Still trailing 1-2 in the five-match series, Buttler thinks his team is moving in the right direction.

“I just love the way the guys played there, and Livy [Liam Livingstong with his five sixes] really taking it on in sixes, and credit to Rash (Rashid) and Woody (Mark Wood) as well, putting on 20-odd for the last wicket, got us up to a really good score.

“So, I think from the first ball of the match, the wicket probably looked a bit different than everyone thought it might play, so to have 170 on the board was a really good score.”

Buttler added that his men will continue to be aggressive with both bat and ball.

“Really happy with the sort of style that we’re trying to play, and continuing to be aggressive, and taking our shots on with the bat, and then absolutely with the ball,” he said.

England’s team players during the practice session ahead of the third T20 international against India in Rajkot on January 27, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Vijay Soneji

Different strokes work for different folks and Tuesday’s (January 28, 2025) third T20I will reveal who among India and England got their tactics right as a high-scoring encounter beckons at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot.

While the Men in Blue found success with their deep batting line-up and a spin-heavy bowling attack, the visitor’s decision to back its pace battery struck out in the first two matches.

England, however, remains committed to its strategy and has gone with an unchanged XI. India has held its cards close to its chest.

The conundrum in front of skipper Suryakumar Yadav will be Mohammed Shami’s return to international cricket. While the think-tank will welcome the veteran pacer getting more overs under his belt ahead of the Champions Trophy, India will be wary of tinkering with a winning combination and losing sight of the immediate task at hand — getting an unassailable lead in the series.

Varun Chakaravarthy & Co. set up a modest run chase in Kolkata as the touring willow-wielders found it difficult to pick the Indian tweakers. The game’s fate was sealed in the first innings as England’s 132 was hunted down in 12.5 overs with Abhishek Sharma (79, 34b) being the wrecker-in-chief.

The Englishmen, though, had their moments in Chennai. The heroics of Jos Buttler (45, 30b) and Brydon Carse (31 off 17 balls & three for 29) were not enough for a win as England let go of a golden chance to draw level. India was reeling at 78 for five in pursuit of 166 and it took a sensational knock from Tilak Varma (72 n.o., 55b) for the host to get past the finish line.

Indian batters will have to sharpen up quickly as England bowlers are not far from getting into their groove.

Buttler’s one-man show with the bat (113 runs) is a cause for concern for England. The openers did not touch double digits in their two outings and will be hoping that the flat track and short boundaries here will turn their fortunes.

Harry Brook — who lost his stumps to Varun twice in a row — did not look at his best as he sweated it out against net bowlers on the eve of the match. The England vice-captain will be keen on finding better timing under the clear skies come match-day.

A glance at the mammoth totals amassed in the recent ODI series between the Women in Blue and Ireland here is further proof that the contest will revolve around which team can pack a punch better.

An evening full of sixes is a safe bet.

The teams:

India (from): Suryakumar Yadav (Capt.), Axar Patel (Vice-captain), Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Shivam Dube and Ramandeep Singh.

England: Jos Buttler (Capt.), Harry Brook (Vice-capt.), Phil Salt, Ben Duckett, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Smith, Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid and Mark Wood.

Match officials: On-field umpires: K.N. Ananthapadmanabhan and Rohan Pandit; Third umpire: Nitin Menon; Match referee: Javagal Srinath.

Match starts at 7 p.m.

England captain Jos Buttler addresses the media on the eve of the first T20 cricket match of the series against India, at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, on January 21, 2025.
| Photo Credit: PTI

England captain Jos Buttler looked forward to working with new white ball coach Brendon McCullum.

On the eve of the five-match T20I series opener against India, Buttler said building the captain-coach alliance would be his priority.

“It’s not a new set-up because Baz (McCullum) has been around for a while and obviously there are a lot of players in this squad who have been with him in the Test set-up for a number of years already. Just looking forward to building that relationship in the white ball set-up,” said Buttler.

The England captain said the team management had not spoken about future big events and remained focussed on the present.

About the heavily loaded T20 schedule in the run-up to the 50-over Champions Trophy, Buttler said, “I’m not too worried about schedules or anything at the moment. I’m just looking forward to playing some matches.”

Veteran batter Joe Root’s return to 50-over format after more than a year headlined England’s squad announcement for the ODI tour to India and the ICC Champions Trophy.
| Photo Credit: B. Jothi Ramalingam

Veteran batter Joe Root’s return to 50-over format after more than a year headlined England’s squad announcement for the ODI tour to India and the ICC Champions Trophy.

Root’s previous assignment in the format was the 50-over World Cup held in India in 2023.

All-rounder and Test skipper Ben Stokes was not considered for selection as he has been recovering from a left hamstring injury sustained during the third Test against New Zealand earlier this month.

Seasoned batter Jos Buttler will lead the side, and the Lancashire man will also captain England in the T20I series against India, which precedes the ODIs.

England will play five T20Is and three ODIs during the white ball tour to India.

Leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed, who made his Test debut against India earlier this year, was included in the T20I squad.

In-form Harry Brook will get another chance to play international bilateral cricket in India after pulling out of the Test series earlier this year due to personal reasons.

England ODI squad

Jos Buttler (Captain), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Jamie Smith, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Saqib Mahmood, Phil Salt, Mark Wood.

England T20I squad

Jos Buttler (Captain), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Jamie Smith, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Saqib Mahmood, Phil Salt, Mark Wood.

India vs England Schedule:

Twenty20 Internationals

1st T20I: January 22, Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

2nd T20I: January 25, MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.

3rd T20I: January 28, Niranjan Shah Stadium, Rajkot.

4th T20I: January 31, MCA Stadium, Pune.

5th T20I: February 2, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

One-Day internationals

1st ODI: February 6, VCA Stadium, Nagpur.

2nd ODI: February 9, Barabati Stadium, Cuttack.

3rd ODI: February 12, Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.

England’s Harry Brook celebrates after reaching his century
| Photo Credit: Reuters

England captain Harry Brook struck his first one-day international century before his team clinched a 46-run win by the DLS method to keep alive the series against Australia on Tuesday.

Chasing 305 to win the third ODI, England was 254-4 — with Brook unbeaten on 110 — when heavy rain arrived in the day-nighter at Chester-le-Street. The teams didn’t get back on the field and England was well ahead of the run-rate.

Australia, which had cruised to dominant wins at Southampton and Leeds in this five-match series, saw its lead trimmed to 2-1 and its 14-match winning run in ODIs come to an end. During that streak, the team won the Cricket World Cup in India last year.

Coming to the crease with England in trouble on 11-2, Brook took on Australia’s seam attack by hitting 13 fours and two sixes in a 94-ball knock to easily surpass his previous ODI-best score of 80.

“I’m relieved, for sure. It’s just nice to see some rewards,” said Brook, who gained his first win as stand-in skipper for the injured Jos Buttler. “I’m just glad I managed to play the way I wanted to. It’s nice to get that first hundred on the board and hopefully there’s plenty more to come.

“I feel like I’ve been a little bit stop-start this summer. I’ve had a lot of starts — 30s and 40s — and then not managed to convert, which is frustrating. To do that today, I feel like I’m back in a good place.”

The series continues on Friday with the fourth ODI at Lord’s.

Playing without explosive opener Travis Head (rested) and star spinner Adam Zampa (ill), Australia was put into bat and needed a strong finish — mainly thanks to Alex Carey’s unbeaten 77 and No. 8 batter Aaron Hardie’s 44 off 26 — to post 304-7 off its 50 overs.

Steve Smith hit a patient 60 off 82 balls, after the tourists’ innings was slowed by losing Cameron Green (42) and Marnus Labuschagne (0) in space of five balls just past the halfway mark.

It looked a tough chase for a youthful England team that had been outclassed so far this series and things started badly when Mitchell Starc dismissed Phil Salt (for an eight-ball duck) and Ben Duckett (8) in the same over — Australia’s third.

Brook embraced the pressure of the occasion and went on the attack pretty much from the start of his innings.

His third-wicket stand of 156 with Will Jacks (84 off 82 balls) swung the momentum England’s way and the team maintained it when the big-hitting Liam Livingstone came in at No. 6 and immediately smashed two sixes.

Brook used the uppercut to great effect to deal with some short-pitched bowling from the Australians and hit a straight drive for four to get to 99. Off the next ball, he opened the face and edged for another four to reach his century, prompting him to remove his helmet and look to the sky.

Brook’s second fifty came off just 33 deliveries.

England’s push for victory was then held up by the rain that arrived in the 38th over. It got heavier and heavier, with the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern formula showing that the hosts were well in front of the run-rate.

Brook made some interesting comments after the series opener in Nottingham, reflecting on some loose dismissals by saying: “If you get caught somewhere on the boundary or in the field, then who cares?”

He said his words had been misunderstood.

“I think people took that a little bit the wrong way. You’ve got to go out and play fearlessly and almost have that ‘who cares?’ attitude. But that’s not a ‘who cares if we lose?’ attitude,” Brook said.

“We all want to win, but you don’t want to go out and have that fear of getting out.”

England’s Jofra Archer will return to international cricket after a hiatus of 14 months as he was named the England’s preliminary squad for upcoming Twenty20 World Cup.
| Photo Credit: ANDREW COULDRIDGE

Pacer Jofra Archer will return to international cricket after a hiatus of 14 months after he was named in England’s preliminary squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup in London on April 30.

Archer last played for England was in a T20I series against Bangladesh in March 2023. The 29-year-old was England’s leading wicket-taker in that series with four scalps from three matches at an economy of 6.63.

But since then Archer was forced to sit on the sidelines because of the recurrence of a stress fracture in his right elbow.

“Jofra Archer has recovered from his right elbow injury and is named in the squad,” said the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in its media release.

From January this year, Archer has been working intensely on his return including Sussex’s pre-season camps in Abu Dhabi and Bengaluru, besides appearing in a handful of club matches at Barbados.

England, who are the defending champions, will be led by Jos Buttler, who had led them to the title in Australia in 2022.

Lancashire all-rounder Tom Hartley is the sole uncapped player (in T20Is) in the squad.

Meanwhile, Buttler (Rajasthan Royals), Moeen Ali (CSK), Jonny Bairstow (PBKS), Sam Curran (PBKS), Liam Livingstone (RR), Phil Salt (KKR), Will Jacks, Reece Topley (both RCB), will return home from the Indian Premier League (IPL) ahead of the T20I series against Pakistan from May 22.

It means that these players will miss the final stages of the IPL 2024.

“The World Cup squad will fly to the Caribbean on May 31 ahead of England’s opening group match against Scotland at the Kensington Oval, Barbados, on Wednesday, June 4,” added the ECB.

England squad

Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, Mark Wood.

Rajasthan Royals batters Jos Buttler and Avesh Khan celebrate with teammates after Rajasthan won the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 cricket match against Kolkata Knight Riders, at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, on April 16, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Jos Buttler played one of the greatest IPL knocks on Tuesday night.

His sensational 107 not out (60b, 9×4, 6×6) gave Rajasthan Royals an unforgettable — and for much of the match — an unlikely last-ball win against Kolkata Knight Riders. The two-wicket victory has consolidated Royals’ position at the top of the table.

RR was set a daunting target of 224 by the host, thanks largely to Sunil Narine’s maiden career century (109, 56b, 13×4, 6×6). If RR was to win, it had to equal its own record of the biggest successful chase in IPL history.

That didn’t look likely when the Royals lost wickets regularly. When Shimron Hetmyer, who had taken them home in the last match, fell for a duck, the score read 121 for six in 12.2 overs.

A tall order it certainly was, with not much batting left. But Buttler’s 57-run partnership for the seventh wicket with Rovman Powell (26, 13b, 1×4, 3×6) allowed Royals to dream.

The dream was realised by Buttler, the Impact Player who had just the tail to support him. Forty-six were needed from the last three, then it came down to 28 off two.

Buttler took off 19 off the penultimate over, bowled by Harshit Rana, and then hit Varun Chakravarthy’s first ball in the last over over long-on for a six to ease the nerves of his teammates in the dugout. A single off the last ball dashed KKR’s hopes of a Super Over.

Like Buttler, Narine carried his team’s innings on his shoulders. He played strokes around this hallowed ground, but he seemed particularly keen to hit the bowlers over their heads.

Only one other batter reached 30, as the promising teenager Angkrish Raghuvanshi (30, 18b, 5×4) helped him add 85 for the second wicket. KKR had lost Phil Salt in the fourth over as Avesh Khan took a stunning one-handed return catch off his own bowling.

Narine and Raghuvanshi, however, went on to frustrate the Royals bowler. It took a fine yorker from Trent Boult to end Narine’s remarkable innings. But, this was going to be Buttler’s night.

England’s Joe Root (left) and teammate Harry Brook. File
| Photo Credit: Ap

Seven players, including Harry Brook, were among 29 England cricketers who were awarded central contracts by the ECB for the first time, while premier all-rounder and Test captain Ben Stokes was given a one-year contract on Tuesday.

The deal pre-dated from October 1 this year also includes a first-of-its-kind multi-year contracts, which were offered to 18 players including Brook, Joe Root and recuperating pacer Jofra Archer.

Apart from Brook, Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Matthew Potts and Josh Tongue received the contract for the first time.

Pacer Carse on Monday was named as a replacement for injured Reece Topley in England’s squad for the on-going World Cup.

Managing Director of England Men’s Cricket, Rob Key, said: “We are rewarding those players who we expect to make a significant impact over the coming years playing for England.

They will play a pivotal role in England’s efforts over the next few years.”

England’s new multi-year central contracts:

Three-year contract: Joe Root, Mark Wood, Harry Brook.

Two-year contract: Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jonathan Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Liam Livingstone, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes.

One-year contract: Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Ben Foakes, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Ollie Robinson, Reece Topley.

Developmental contract: Matthew Fisher, Saqib Mahmood, John Turner.

England’s Ben Stokes announced his intention to play ODI cricket again earlier this month. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

England limited-overs captain Jos Buttler hailed “superstar” Ben Stokes following his decision to come out of one-day international retirement.

Stokes called time on his 50-over career last year due to concerns over his punishing workload and a knee problem.

However, the England Test skipper announced his intention to play ODI cricket again earlier this month and has been named in the squad for the upcoming series against New Zealand, with the World Cup in India looming in October.

Also Read | Paine hits out at Stokes for coming out of ODI retirement to play in World Cup

England, world champions in both white-ball formats, play the Black Caps in four T20s and four ODIs and Buttler admitted he was “delighted” to have Stokes back in the fold.

“It’s excellent news on all fronts, said Buttler. “It’s great for cricket to have a superstar like Ben Stokes in a World Cup.

“You want to see those players in those major showpiece events so it’s fantastic that he’s made himself available.

“When a player of that calibre is available again it’s a no-brainer really that you want them back in your team.”

Stokes played a pivotal role in England’s 2019 World Cup triumph, scoring an unbeaten 84 in the final against New Zealand before starring in the Super Over alongside Buttler.

“You look at the impact he has in every game he plays really, but especially in the last couple of World Cups (including the 2022 T20 World Cup), he’s the man in the middle with the crucial moment,” said Buttler.

“We’re delighted to have him back. It’s not just the cricket but everything else he brings to the group.”

All-rounder Stokes, 32, will be returning to the ODI squad as a specialist batter and Buttler said he made his decision following the conclusion of the recent Ashes series, which ended 2-2.

“He said he’d be available as a batter and that was enough for me to just say ‘brilliant, can’t wait to have you back’,” said Buttler.

England open the 20-over section of the New Zealand series at Chester-le-Street on Wednesday.

The first ODI takes place in Cardiff on September 8.

Although England have one eye on the World Cup later this year, Buttler is looking forward to a “great test” against the Black Caps.

“It’s great to be back together as a squad having not played together since Bangladesh in March,” he said.

“It’s very exciting stuff on the horizon obviously with the World Cup in India, but we start with the T20 series here against New Zealand which we’re determined to do well in.

“Of course I suppose the main priority is the ODIs against New Zealand — I think they’ll be a great test for us ahead of the World Cup.”