Our best performance in this edition by a mile: Buttler

To play like that against a strong Indian team was special, says England captain

Close to the Adelaide Oval, just before the old cathedral, is an iconic statue. Sir Don Bradman in the last flourish of an expansive drive is frozen for posterity as a piece of eternal art. That Zen-state of batting was visible inside the venue too on a Thursday night when Jos Buttler and Alex Hales soared high.

The duo powered England to a 10-wicket victory over India in the ICC Twenty20 World Cup semifinal. Soon after the triumph, Buttler in his role as the England skipper met the press.

“This was our best performance in the tournament by a mile. To be here in the semifinal and to play like that against a strong Indian team was special,” he said.

Exuding joy, both over his and the team’s performance, Buttler picked out Hales, Chris Jordan, other pacers and Adil Rashid for their fine show. “We kept them (Indians) quiet initially and I thought our fast bowlers did well. Adil got Suryakumar Yadav too. It was a good pitch and we enjoyed being there,” the England captain said.

And as for ‘spoiling’ the expected India-Pakistan summit-clash, Buttler smiled and said: “I know a lot of people wanted that especially after that first edition between the two teams, obviously they wanted one more match between them. But am happy we are in the final and it feels special.”