Manchester Super Giants recorded a thumping 87-run win over Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred encounter at Old Trafford on Sunday (July 26).
Buttler surpassed his highest score in the Hundred but fell short of a century by 10 runs as MSG posted a daunting 187/5 on the board.
However, that didn't deter Buttler who took on Saqib Mahmood for a six and a four off successive deliveries to fetch some early momentum.
He made use of that momentum and ensured 39 runs came in the Powerplay.
He hammered back-to-back sixes off Usman Tariq to make a statement and cleared the ropes again off successive deliveries against Rehan.
Manchester Super Giants recorded a thumping 87-run win over Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred encounter at Old Trafford on Sunday (July 26). Buttler surpassed his highest score in the Hundred but fell short of a century by 10 runs as MSG posted a daunting 187/5 on the board. In reply, Phoenix put on a shoddy display with the bat.
Phoenix's decision to bowl first appeared to be vindicated when the dangerous Tim Seifert departed very early. However, that didn't deter Buttler who took on Saqib Mahmood for a six and a four off successive deliveries to fetch some early momentum. He made use of that momentum and ensured 39 runs came in the Powerplay. Rehan Ahmed then struck at the other end by getting rid of Aiden Markram for 6 (9) but Heinrich Klaasen and Buttler continued to deal in boundaries.
Even though Phoenix appeared to fight back with quick wickets that saw the back of Klaasen and Leus de Plooy, Tom Moores gave MSG much-needed momentum at the death by going berserk. He hammered back-to-back sixes off Usman Tariq to make a statement and cleared the ropes again off successive deliveries against Rehan. Buttler, who was playing second fiddle at that stage, caught up with a couple of sixes of his own but his fantastic knock came to an end when he needed 10 runs from the final four deliveries for his century.
In reply, Josh Tongue put Phoenix under severe pressure very early in the innings. Will Smeed and Rehan both lost their stumps in dramatic fashion and that saw the Phoenix reeling at 20/2. While they tried to bide their time in order to recover, Liam Dawson and Gus Atkinson struck once each in the space of four deliveries to add to the batting side's woes. At the halfway mark, there were clear signs that this game would end up being very one-sided.
Noor Ahmed too got amongst the wickets when he got rid of Donovan Ferreira and shattered Ben Dwarshuis' stumps in the space of three balls. The innings came to an end with Tariq being the last man dismissed. While both teams had kicked off the new campaign with tight wins, this result has propelled MSG to the top of the table very early in the tournament.
