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A hard-hitting batsman and a wicket-keeper, Jos Buttler quickly built up a reputation for demolishing bowling attacks. His introduction to competitive cricket came at an early age and he represented Somerset's youth teams at the Under-13, Under-15 and Under-17 levels. He was a prolific run-scorer in school and junior cricket, and his consistent batting helped him come through the ranks quickly. He soon represented Somerset's second XI and was seen as a good prospect for the shorter formats. Buttler then, was named as Young Wisden School Cricketer of the Year in 2010. In 2011, Buttler was selected in the T20 squad to face India and West Indies at home. He did not get to bat in his first two games and managed only 13 runs when he got his chance in the second match against West Indies. Buttler played a key role in England's tour to West Indies, scoring an aggressive 99 in the third ODI, which helped England post a mammoth total and secure a series win. He continued his rich vein of form in the T20s, however, England lost the series. He was also part of England's World T20 campaign in Bangladesh. The wicket-keeper batsman grew in stature ever since he was given a consistent run by the selectors. In the ODI series against Sri Lanka at home, Buttler scored his maiden ODI ton off just 61 balls, it is the fastest hundred by an England batsman. When Matt Prior stepped down from the Test side after the loss to India at Lord's, Buttler was drafted in and handed a debut in Southampton. He scored 85 in his very first Test. After a few sensational years, 2017 was a rather middling one for Buttler. Runs didn't quite flow for him although there were a lot of times when the situation demanded instant hitting. That didn't quite come off consistently for him in the year. In 2018, Buttler’s performance was instrumental in England’s whitewash over Australia in an ODI series. In the 3-match series, Buttler scored two fifties and a dramatic hundred in the third game, coming in at 27-4 to rescue England to a respectable position and take them through to a winning total. When Jos Buttler smashed England’s second fastest ODI century (Buttler holds the record for England’s fastest too) just a few weeks before the 2019 World Cup against Pakistan, former England captain Nasser Hussain put Buttler in the same category as that of Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, MS Dhoni and Viv Richards. It was by no means an exaggeration. A phenomenal talent, Buttler can single-handedly win matches for his team and he can put even the best bowling attacks under pressure - courtesy his 360 degrees hitting. In the first series post the pandemic in 2020, Buttler scored a standout 152 in the final Test against the West Indies but was criticized for his glovework after dropping several chances. In the 2021 World T20, Buttler scored an unbeaten 101 against Sri Lanka to become the first English batter to score a hundred in all formats. Later the next year, in a game against the Netherlands where England scored a historic 498, Buttler contributed an unbeaten 162 off just 70 deliveries. That series turned out to be Eoin Morgan’s last in ODI cricket and Buttler was handed the white-ball reins. Later in 2022, Buttler captained England to victory in the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia. His contributions with the bat were vital and he was praised for his astute captaincy. The move to Rajasthan Royals in the 2018 auctions sparked a fresh lease of life for Buttler who however, started as a middle order batsman for the franchise, like his MI days. With the surfaces of Jaipur not as conducive as the ones in Mumbai, the struggles against the older ball was profound for Buttler. It was an enigma, considering that it’s the position he bats for while representing England. A late move in the season to promote Buttler as an opener produced immediate results, as he smashed five consecutive fifties to propel the Royals into the playoffs. Since then, he primarily batted as an opener in T20 cricket and excelled in the BBL too for the Sydney Thunder. Jos Buttler will be leading England in World Cup 2023 and given his experience of playing in IPL, the skipper will be looking forward to making an impact for the defending champions. He has the ability to mix caution and aggression and England will be expecting Buttler to fire and be at his best in order to defend their World Cup title. The flamboyant batter loves to bat in Indian conditions and opposition bowlers need to be wary of his exploits in the tournament.
