Eoin Morgan said Jos Buttler is in a world of his own after the wicket-keeper batter blasted an unbeaten 162 off 70 balls in the first ODI against Netherlands in Amstelveen on June 17.
Buttler hammered 162 not out off just 70 balls to propel England to 498/4, setting a world record for the highest ODI as well as List A total.
He smashed seven fours and 14 sixes at the VRA Ground in Amstelveen. The wicket-keeper batter paired with Dawid Malan and Liam Livingstone to take 200 runs off the last 12.2 overs.
“Jos came in and just played in a world of his own, like he has been for the last year or two years. It’s incredible to watch. It’s not something that we take for granted, it is amazing cricket. It is the reason he is probably the best white-ball cricketer in the world at the moment,”
Morgan was quoted as saying by Sky Sports.
Buttler had a torrid time in Australia during the Ashes and needed to get back to form. The IPL 2022 provided him that platform, where he produced one of the greatest individual seasons to take Rajasthan Royals to the final. He amassed 863 runs in 17 matches at an average of 57 and strike rate of 149, including four hundreds and winning the orange cap and MVP award.
England had two other centurions in their massive 232-run victory in the opening game, with Phil Salt and Dawid Malan bringing up their maiden hundreds. Livingstone registered the fastest fifty in ODIs for England, scoring an unbeaten 66 off just 22.
But despite all of this madness, England missed out on the magic figure of 500 by just two runs. When asked whether they were disappointed with that, Buttler laughed it off and said it’s a difficult thing to achieve, but they will keep pushing the boundaries.
“We keep trying to push the boundaries, keep trying to take the game forward. It’s a tough thing to try and achieve. The biggest thing is the mentality that we’re showing as a team and we keep trying to better that and be aggressive and brave when we play,”
said Buttler.
