Kamal Ghorui
Jos Buttler continued his golden T20 legacy with a landmark double achievement during Gujarat Titans’ seven-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow on Sunday. The England wicketkeeper-batter not only brought up his 100th T20 fifty but also crossed the 14,000-run mark in T20 cricket, joining an elite group featuring Chris Gayle, David Warner, Kieron Pollard and Alex Hales.Innings to 14000 T20 runs423 C Gayle431 D Warner468 J Buttler505 A Hales633 K Pollard Buttler’s milestone innings of 60 came in a match where GT chased down 165 with eight balls to spare, powered by a dominant second-wicket stand with skipper Shubman Gill. The pair added 85 runs off just 58 deliveries, dismantling the LSG attack after an early wicket. With the 100th fifty, Buttler also entered a historic club featuring only Virat Kohli, David Warner and himself as the only batters to register 100 half-centuries in T20 cricket, underlining his remarkable consistency across leagues and international cricket. Buttler’s knock had added significance as he was given an early reprieve when Rishabh Pant dropped him off Digvesh Rathi in the eighth over. He made full use of the chance, accelerating through the middle overs before eventually falling for 60 to a slower delivery from Mohammed Shami, caught smartly by Aiden Markram at long-on. Gill’s composed 56 ensured stability at the other end as GT took control of the chase. Earlier, Prasidh Krishna’s superb 4 for 24 had restricted LSG to 164 for 8, setting up a comfortable finish. While Washington Sundar and Rahul Tewatia closed out the chase calmly, the night belonged to Buttler’s rare milestones — 14,000 T20 runs and a place in the ultra-exclusive 100-fifty club alongside Kohli and Warner, marking yet another chapter in a stellar T20 career.
