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England wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler went for a blocking spree on Day 5 of the pink-ball Ashes Test in Adelaide. Buttler batted for four hours and 18 minutes but managed to score just 26 runs from 207 deliveries. The England vice-captain entered the Ashes record books as well for scoring the least runs after facing 200 or more deliveries.
Had Buttler played 14 more deliveries, he would have created an all-time Ashes record of facing most deliveries without scoring a half-century. In 1934, England’s Pasty Hendren faced 221 deliveries to score 42 runs. 38 years later, England’s Peter Parfitt took 217 deliveries to score 46 runs whereas Geoffrey Boycott scored 49 runs off 212 deliveries in 1979 at the same venue as Buttler’s gritty knock.
With a strike rate of 12.56, Buttler also recorded the second-lowest strike rate by a wicketkeeper-batter in Test cricket in an innings (200 deliveries or more faced). The record also belongs to an English wicketkeeper. Jack Russell played with a strike rate of 12.34 against South Africa, scoring 29 runs off 235 deliveries.
Opposite to his natural game, Buttler did not go after the bowlers even when he was bowled a poor delivery. He hit just two boundaries in the slow knock on Day 5 in an attempt to draw the second Test of the series. On several occasions while batting with the tail, he denied singles to prevent exposing lower order batters.
Buttler survived for 206 deliveries in the middle but off the 207th he made a mistake only he can be blamed for. While defending on the back foot against Jhye Richardson, he went deep into the crease and disturbed the stumps. While Australian bowlers toiled hard in the middle for a long time, Buttler gave his wicket away in the third session which turned out to be the final nail in the coffin. As a result, England lost the day/night Test by a massive margin of 275 runs making it tough for them to make a comeback and regain the Ashes.
