England too good for India as Buttler hits 131
England completed a commanding 4-0 series victory over India in the fifth and final Twenty20 international at Southampton, winning by 56 runs to climb to the top of the world rankings. The result marks a significant turnaround for English cricket after a 2-1 Test series defeat by New Zealand, and inflicts a painful campaign on the reigning T20 world champions, who have now lost their number one ranking and endured their first winless five-match T20 series.
The match was defined by Jos Buttler's highest T20 score of 131 from 64 balls and captain Harry Brook's unbeaten 95 off 45 deliveries, whose stand of 233 set an England T20 record and a world record for the second wicket in T20 internationals. England posted 257-3, their third-highest T20 international total, and India fell short on 201-8 despite half-centuries from Ishan Kishan (56) and Tilak Varma (53), with Sam Curran taking 3-36. Buttler's century ended a run of 18 innings without a fifty, while the defeat extended India's losing streak to six completed 20-over matches; the sides now meet in a five-match one-day international series starting at Edgbaston on Tuesday.
In short
- England beat India by 56 runs to win the T20 series 4-0.
- Buttler hit a career-best 131; Brook made 95 not out.
- Their 233 stand set an England T20 record.
Explained simply
T20 is the shortest form of international cricket, with each team batting for a maximum of 20 overs (120 balls). It has become the most popular and commercially successful format of the sport globally.
India are the reigning Twenty20 World Cup champions, having won the sport's premier international tournament in this format most recently. India have long been one of the strongest and most influential cricket nations worldwide.
England have established themselves as a leading T20 team in recent years under a strategy of aggressive batting. Matches between England and India in any format attract particular significance given both nations' standing in world cricket.