The rise of Jos Buttler, England’s T20 opener

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Jos Buttler is set to continue opening for England at the T20 World Cup, a role he has occupied for the last 36 T20 Internationals that he has played since 2018. His position as the opener was cemented after extended debates related to whether, as one of England’s best batters, he should play in a position which guaranteed the largest number of balls, or the highest difficulty. The decision to cast him as an opener was finalized due to Ed Smith, the English selector from 2018 to 2021. The opening pair prior to him was Alex Hales and Jason Roy, who were subsequently moved down in the batting order. This finally resulted in the removal of Joe Root from the team. According to Smith, in shorter formats like T20, it is important to elevate attacking batters higher up in the sequence, compared to 50 over games, such that players have a greater opportunity to play at their full potential.

Furthermore, the batting order is significant as it amounts to deciding which players can face a significant number of balls, with those lower down potentially facing none. However, taking the risk with Buttler has paid off, with an average of 46.71 runs. Those who have argued for playing him later in a game, have reasoned that the next best batter in the top order is significantly better than those in the lower order, and therefore it is more beneficial for him to play the crucial overs where a team may need saving. This ideology is also shared by AB de Villiers, who prefers to bat in the middle order. Meanwhile powerful “hitters” like Andre Russell are better placed in the lower order according to Smith, as even playing a smaller number of shots can give rise to big runs, without a waste of the player’s talent. Either way, Buttler is here to stay as the opener and looking to win his maiden victory in a final in the role.