T20 World Cup: England's Jos Buttler becomes third-highest run-scorer
What's the story
England's Jos Buttler has become the third-highest run-scorer in the ICC T20 World Cup. Buttler reached the landmark in England's opener of the 2026 edition against Nepal at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium. The former skipper scored a 17-ball 26 as England racked up 184/7 in 20 overs. With this, Buttler surpassed Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene on the list of T20 World Cup run-scorers.
Milestone
Buttler joins these legends in top three
As mentioned, Buttler overtook Jayawardene, who scored 1,016 runs from 31 T20 World Cup games at 39.07. Playing his 36th game in the tournament, the former now has 1,039 runs at an average of 41.56. His tally includes a strike rate of 147.37. Buttler is only behind India's Rohit Sharma (1,220) and Virat Kohli (1,292) on this elite list.
Journey
Buttler's journey in T20 World Cup
The 2012 T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka marked Buttler's debut in the gala competition. While he was England's designated finisher back, Buttler has emerged as a formidable top-order batter in T20 cricket in recent years. Under his leadership, England tasted glory in the preceding 2022 edition in Australia. Buttler has played 36 matches in the tournament, the most by an England player.
Feat
One of the two keepers with this feat
Buttler is one of only two wicket-keepers to have scored a ton in the tournament. In 2021, he smashed a 67-ball 101* when England were down to 35/3 against Sri Lanka in Sharjah. He joined New Zealand's Brendon McCullum, who slammed a 58-ball 123 for New Zealand against Bangladesh in 2012. Meanwhile, Alex Hales is the only other Englishman with a T20 WC hundred.
Career
Fourth-most T20I runs
As mentioned, Buttler smashed a crunch 26 off 17 balls (5 fours) against Nepal. Across 148 T20Is, the English batter has raced to 3,976 runs at an average of 35.18. His strike rate reads 148.69. Buttler is only behind Babar Azam (4,520), Rohit (4,231), and Kohli (4,188) in terms of T20I runs. Buttler has a ton and 28 half-centuries in the format.