Lucknow: Jos Buttler of Gujarat Titans (PTI Photo/Salman Ali)
Jos Buttler continued his golden T20 legacy with a historic double feat during Gujarat Titans’ seven-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow on Sunday. The England wicket-keeper-batsman not only brought up his 100th T20 fifty, but also crossed the 14,000-run mark in T20 cricket, joining an elite group that includes Chris Gayle, David Warner, Kieron Pollard and Alex Hales.Innings to 14,000 T20 runs423 J. Gayle431 D Warner468 J Butler505 A Hales633 K BullardButtler’s landmark innings of 60 came in a match where he chased down GT’s 165 in eight balls, buoyed by a dominant second-wicket stand with skipper
Shubman Gill
. The pair added 85 runs off just 58 deliveries, dismantling the LSG attack after an early wicket.
He watches
Yashasvi Jaiswal reveals the mood of the dressing room after his third successive win
With his 50, Buttler also entered a historic all-time club
Virat Kohli
David Warner and himself are the only batsmen to score 100 half-centuries in T20 cricket, underscoring his remarkable consistency across leagues and international cricket.Buttler’s knock had added significance as he was given an early reprieve when Rishabh Pant dropped him off Digvesh Rathi in the eighth over. He took full advantage, accelerating through the middle before eventually dropping back on 60 to a slower pass from Mohammed Shami, which was cleverly caught by Aiden Markram at long-on.Gill’s group of 56 ensured stability at the other end as GT dominated the chase. Earlier, Prasidh Krishna’s brilliant score of 4 for 24 had restricted LSG to 164 for 8, resulting in a comfortable finish.
While Washington Sundar and Rahul Tewatia calmly ended the chase, the night belonged to Buttler’s rare milestones – 14,000 T20 runs and a place in the very exclusive 100-50 club alongside Kohli and Warner, marking another chapter in his stellar T20 career.