SOUTHAMPTON: Jos Buttler’s first international century in three years powered England to an emphatic 56-run victory over India at Southampton on Saturday as they took over at the top of the T20 world rankings after completing a 4-0 series victory.

Buttler had gone 18 matches in the format without reaching 40 but the 35-year-old, one of England’s most outstanding white-ball batsmen of all time, was in superb form as he struck eight sixes in a blistering innings of 131.

Buttler’s second T20 international hundred occurred during a remarkable England record partnership in the format of of 233 with captain Harry Brook, who made 95 not out as the hosts made 257-3 — their second-highest total at this level.

India’s hopes of avoiding a winless series, in a match where the start was delayed after the tourists got stuck in traffic, were all but over at the break between innings.

Ishan Kishan made 56 but India ended on 201-8 after left-arm swing bowler Sam Curran took 3-36 as England completed another commanding win over the T20 world champions.

The teams will now contest a three-match one-day international series starting in Birmingham on Tuesday in what could be a last campaign in England for India batting great Virat Kohli, who has already retired from Test and T20 International cricket.

SCOREBOARD

ENGLAND:

P. Salt c Shedge b Krishna6

J. Buttler c Iyer b Dube131

H. Brook not out95

J. Bethell c Varma b Dube0

W. Jacks not out7

EXTRAS (LB-2, NB-1, W-15)18

TOTAL (for three wkts, 20 overs)257

DID NOT BAT: T. Banton, S. Curran, L. Dawson, J. Archer, A. Rashid, J. Tongue

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-8 (Salt), 2-241 (Buttler), 3-241 (Bethell)

BOWLING: Singh 4-0-33-0 (5w), Krishna 4-0-38-1 (3w), Yadav 4-0-60-0 (1w), Patel 4-0-63-0 (1w), Shedge 3-0-39-0 (1w, 1nb), Dube 1-0-22-2

INDIA:

S. Samson c Bethell b Curran27

A. Sharma c Buttler b Archer3

I. Kishan c Salt b Rashid56

S. Iyer c Curran b Dawson28

T. Varma c Buttler b Tongue53

S. Dube c Archer b Curran14

S. Shedge c Buttler b Curran7

A. Patel c Jacks b Rashid3

A. Singh not out4

P. Krishna not out1

EXTRAS (LB-1, NB-1, W-3)5

TOTAL (for eight wkts, 20 overs)201

DID NOT BAT: P. Yadav

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-25 (Sharma), 2-55 (Samson), 3-110 (Iyer), 4-131 (Kishan), 5-162 (Dube), 6-189 (Varma), 7-193 (Shedge), 8-199 (Patel)

BOWLING: Archer 4-0-41-1, Tongue 4-0-53-1 (1w, 1nb), Jacks 3-0-32-0, Curran 4-0-36-3 (2w), Dawson 2-0-14-1, Rashid 3-0-24-2

RESULT: England won by 56 runs.

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: J. Buttler

Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2026