Mumbai, March 4: With scores of 26, 21, 3, 3, 7, 2, and 0 in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, Jos Buttler has not looked like the accomplished batter he has been in this format over the past many years.
The former England captain, at 35 years old, the oldest player in the squad and their most experienced player with 154 T20Is and numerous franchise cricket matches, was expected to be the main batter for the two-time World Cup champions.
Ahead of the crucial semifinal encounter against hosts India at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, England captain Harry Brook said they were not concerned about Buttler's form, and they usually prefer to let him do his thing without offering any advice or suggestions.
"Yeah, you don't need to talk to him too much. I think it's best to leave him alone. He's been a powerful cricketer for many years, as we've all seen. I've been asked this question thousands of times now, and I just think there's no reason to question why he's on the team," said Brook on the eve of the semifinal match.
Buttler has played at the Wankhede on more than a dozen occasions during his stints with various franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He will be one batter that the Indian team will be wary of on Thursday's semifinal due to his vast experience and familiarity with the conditions. Buttler has been struggling with form in recent months and has managed scores in the 20s in England's last three matches in the series against Sri Lanka ahead of the World Cup.
Asked about his opinion on the Wankhede Stadium pitch for the semifinal, Brook said he would have a chat with coach Brandon McCullum, and they would see the stats and make a decision on what to do if Buttler wins the toss.
"I don't know. You're asking the wrong person. I don't know anything about pitches. I'll have a chat with Baz tonight and tomorrow before the game. We'll look at the stats and see what to do first if we win the toss," said the England captain.
Although he is leading for the first time in the T20 World Cup, Brook has managed his squad well, as England has only lost one match in seven matches, to West Indies in the league phase, and has made several tactical calls, such as giving the ball to Will Jacks.
"We obviously get a lot of stats, we have a lot of videos, we can see where the batters are trying to hit the ball, we know the match-ups, it's just about trying to get the bowlers to make it uncomfortable for their batters for as long as possible," said Brook.
