Veteran England batsman Jos Buttler has admitted that he is “frustrated” by his underwhelming form in the T20 World Cup 2026 tournament. However, he has said that he will bat according to the match situation, instead of “playing for 15 overs” to regain his form.
The former captain has registered scores of 26, 21, 3 and 3 in the four group stage matches, and he will be gearing up for tougher challenges come the Super 8 stage. Overall, Buttler has scored just 53 runs from four matches at an average of 13.25.
England are in Group 2 of the Super 8 stage along with New Zealand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Jos Buttler speaks on his lack of runs recently
Despite enduring a tough run in the T20 World Cup, Buttler set another milestone, surpassing 4000 runs in T20 internationals, becoming the fourth player to do so.
However, in the last 16 T20I innings for England, the 35-year-old has scored just one half-century.
“I’m a bit frustrated, to be honest,” the Taunton-born cricketer said on For the Love of Cricket podcast.
“I felt like I was playing really well in South Africa, in the SA20, without getting scores. One thing I’d always pride myself on in T20s is, if you get in, to be able to go on and make a good contribution. I found myself getting out in the teens and twenties quite a bit, getting starts and then finding ways to get out,” he added.
He further explained on how he would approach games, and said that he wouldn’t bat 15 overs just for his benefit.
He was responding to former England cricketer Nasser Hussain’s claim that if Buttler bats 15 overs, he would be able to win games for his team.
“In T20 you’ve got to keep playing the scoreboard. If you’re chasing 10 an over, you’ve got to play accordingly. I saw Nasser saying, ‘Just bat for 15 overs’ and I’d love to just bat for 15 overs, but I don’t want to bat for 15 overs just for myself and ignore the game. You’ve got to still play the game.
“I guess he’s just saying give yourself a chance, just get yourself in, and they are all the things that you want to do anyway. The game just keeps challenging you. No matter what stage of your career at, there’s always something challenging you… I pride myself on my own performance,” added Buttler.
The Harry Brook-led side will lock horns against Sri Lanka in Pallekele on Sunday (22 February) in their first match of the Super 8 stage. That will be followed by matches against Pakistan (24 February in Pallekele) and New Zealand (27 February in Colombo), thus giving Buttler multiple opportunities to bounce back to form.
