T20 World Cup: Jos Buttler’s struggles for England a concern – but Will Jacks continues to impress | Cricket News

“Can we play you every week?”

That chant is often heard inside football stadiums when a side is, say, 4-0 up on their opponents in next to no time.

It is also one England cricket supporters might be belting out as their team’s T20 dominance of Sri Lanka continued with a rout of a World Cup victory in Pallekele on Sunday.

England have now won their last 12 T20 internationals against this opponent, including when they swept them 3-0 in a pre-World Cup bilateral series, also in Pallekele. Not since a game at The Kia Oval in May 2014 have Sri Lanka beaten England in this format.

It feels about as long since Jos Buttler last scored any significant runs for his country.

We joke, of course, as the last time Buttler scored big for England was actually last September, notching back-to-back ODI fifties at home to South Africa and then a 30-ball 83 in a T20I against the same opposition as the team piled on 304-2.

Since then, though, the former captain, dubbed a “powerhouse” by current skipper Harry Brook, has toiled.

No fifties, a best of 39 and now three successive single-figure scores at the T20 World Cup after dismissals of three against Scotland and Italy – he was caught at mid-off both times – were followed by a painful 14-ball seven in the 51-run demolition of Sri Lanka.

A frazzled Buttler was pinned lbw on the reverse sweep by spin bowler Dunith Wellalage at the start of the fourth over but it was his efforts in the previous over, bowled by seamer Dilshan Madushanka, that were perhaps most alarming.

Three balls in a row Buttler was beaten playing flat-footed drives. He then scuffed a single to short third off the toe end of the bat to retain strike. Moments later he was out.

Why is Buttler struggling?

England’s greatest of all time when it comes to white-ball batting is enduring a torrid time – but why?

Sky Sports’ Michael Atherton said of Buttler, who is averaging 12 at the World Cup with a best of 26 in five innings: “Even the best go through phases where the game grabs you a little bit, bites you. Jos needs a score.

“Nasser Hussain has spoken about his heading going slightly the wrong side of the ball, particularly when he is looking to drive through the off-side. The bat is not coming down clean and crisp.

“Some cricketers will hide poor form or a lack of confidence more than others. Some will stick their chest out and be a bit of a bluffer, but Buttler is not like that.

“He wears things on his sleeve and can be burdened, as he was at the end of his captaincy. You can’t really change your character and your nature.

“I’m sure class will out in the end but it has to out quickly because his opening partnership with Phil Salt is a critical part of the game and it hasn’t fired yet.

“It is hard to see England going all the way if it doesn’t.

Former England all-rounder Moeen Ali added: “I think it is more mental with Jos.

“When that part is not quite happening for you. Your technique gets exposed and you look at things you probably wouldn’t do if you were playing well. He needs to free up and let go but I am convinced he is going to come good.”

‘Perfect player’ Jacks steps up for England again

Buttler is yet to fire at the T20 World Cup, then, but the same cannot be said of spin-bowling all-rounder Will Jacks, who is looking an inspired selection at No 7.

Jacks bailed England out with the bat with late-innings runs in the nerve-jangling victories over Nepal and Italy – hitting a maiden T20I fifty against the latter.

He contributed with the blade against Sri Lanka, too – his 21 off 14 balls was the second-highest score behind Salt (62 off 40) – before cracking the game open with three wickets in the powerplay to largely wreck his opponents’ chase of just 147.

Moeen said Jacks – who Brook called the “perfect player” due to his all-round skill with bat, ball and in the field – was rewarded for bowling full and slow, as he caught and bowled Kusal Mendis after finding grip off the pitch and had Pavan Rathnayake out spooning to cover off a leading edge next delivery.

The wicket of Wellalage came later.

Thanks largely to Jacks, who also hit the winning runs against Scotland, England keep coming out on the right side of niggly games, albeit against sides you would expect them to beat. In Sri Lanka’s case, one they always seem to beat.

He is that perfect player. He is the Jack of all trades who can do everything. He is awesome in the field and with the bat and like we saw here,
very good with the ball. He started us off beautifully.

Harry Brook on Will Jacks

That is a great trait for a team to have but you sense there will need to be an improvement with the bat if they are to go deep in this tournament and perhaps even win it – as they are, of course, not playing Sri Lanka every week.

Pakistan in Pallekele on Tuesday and New Zealand in Colombo on Friday should be tougher tests.

England won’t object if Jacks gets them over the line again but they would love their GOAT, their ‘powerhouse’ in Buttler, to dish out something special.

“Jos hasn’t fired yet. But when he does fire, and he gets on a very good wicket, he’s going to get a hundred and blitz the team away,” Brook said boldly of his premier batter.

England’s T20 World Cup Super 8s results and fixtures

All times UK and Ireland; all games live on Sky Sports Cricket

Watch every game from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup live on Sky Sports Cricket, including the competition final on Sunday March 8. Get Sky Sports or stream contract-free with NOW.