Jos Buttler played a captain’s innings in his first T20 appearance since giving up the role as he and the returning Liam Dawson carried England to a 21-run victory over the West Indies.
Buttler helped new skipper Harry Brook secure a 3-0 sweep in the ODI series but took centre stage for himself as the teams switched formats in Durham, smashing four sixes and six boundaries in a match-winning turn of 96 in 59 balls.
Brook has made it clear he views his predecessor as the best white-ball batter in the world and Buttler made good on that billing, with England building a total of 188 for six and an advantage they refused to squander.
Dawson ensured his work did not go to waste, marking his return after almost three years in the international wilderness with an outstanding four for 20 as the tourists managed 167 for nine.
The 35-year-old’s left-arm spin has been deemed surplus to requirements since 2022 but his consistently impressive returns at Hampshire have earned him a belated second chance and he took it greedily at the Banks Homes Riverside.
England roared out of the traps, Jamie Smith smiting the second ball of the match down the ground, then helping himself to two more boundaries before Jason Holder’s first over was done.
Romario Shepherd nipped Ben Duckett out with a slower ball at the other end but that success came with strings attached – ushering Buttler to the crease with the majority of the powerplay still in front of him.
He made enthusiastic use of the fielding restrictions, launching into a tirade. He flicked between two distinct modes of attack – hitting long, hard and straight or bamboozling his opponent with reverse sweeps and ramps.
England took 45 off 12 legal deliveries in the fifth and sixth overs, Smith heaving Andre Russell over the ropes twice before Buttler tucked into Alzarri Joseph with abandon. Joseph, theoretically the high-speed enforcer of the attack, was thoroughly de-fanged as Buttler struck three sixes and a four in successive deliveries.
Gudakesh Motie applied the brakes with some smart spin bowling, hustling through four overs for 21, and the pressure helped his team make inroads. Smith (38) failed to clear the deep-midwicket fielder, Brook got his footwork wrong as Roston Chase bowled him for six and Tom Banton lasted just four balls before Russell had him lbw.