Paarl Royals

Biography

A tall and well-built player, Joseph Buttler first grabbed headlines when, as a 19-year old, he had a terrific 2010 season with Somerset. His aggressive batting helped him score 440 runs in the 40-overs domestic tournament at a staggering average of 55.00. He was named the Young Wisden School Cricketer of the Year in the very same year.

A right-handed batsman, Buttler came across as a prolific run-scorer in the one-day arena, though his First-Class record did not inspire much confidence. Despite that, he was always seen as a potential and challenging entry in England's one-day side, right from the beginning. Buttler made his First-Class debut for Somerset in 2009 and scored a decent 30 against Lancashire.

An able wicket-keeper, he is one of the cleanest hitters of the cricket ball. He was also an integral part of the England Under-19 team in the 2009-10 winter, his first appearance coming in a Twenty20 encounter against the Bangladeshi Under-19s. Buttler received a surprise call-up to England's T20I squad in 2011 to face India in their one-off Twenty20 International at Old Trafford, Manchester. A year later, he made his ODI debut against Pakistan in Dubai.

He was in and out of the side initially but once given a proper run, Buttler came out with flying colours. He scored a 61-ball ODI hundred against Sri Lanka at home to showcase his skills. It was the fastest ODI hundred for an English player before he himself broke that record in 2015, scoring a 46-ball ton against Pakistan. He made his Test debut against India and stamped his authority with an 85. His form however dipped going into England's disastrous 2015 World Cup campaign.

Things though changed since then. Buttler became an integral part of England's limited overs cricket. His quick scoring and innovative hitting won him a contract with Mumbai for the 2016 edition of the Indian T20 League. He didn't quite set the stage on fire but has had a few meaningful contributions. In 2018, Rajasthan spent a big amount to acquire his service. Jos didn't start well for them but once he got promoted to open the innings, his fortunes turned. At that time, he became only the second batsman in the history of the League to notch up five consecutive 50 scores.

It took time for Buttler to cement his position in the Test team but a few winning contributions during the series against West Indies and Pakistan in 2020 helped him to establish himself as the number one wicketkeeper batsman in the country.