Record partnership, highest total: Buttler, Brook insult India’s injuries

Adding insult to injury to Shreyas Iyer in India, Jos Buttler and Harry Brook raced to England’s highest ever T20I tally against the men in blue. Sent in to bat in the fifth and final T20I at Southampton, Brook and Buttler added 233 runs for the first wicket to guide the hosts to a mammoth 257/3.

Barring Arshdeep Singh, every Indian bowler was taken to the cleaners as the visitors once again searched for answers. It was Harry Brook who initially opened the charge against the Indian bowlers and reached his fifty in just 19 balls, but Buttler slowly took over the show. Photo: Reuters

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BUTTLER-BROOK LEAVE INDIA REELING

The former England captain, who handed over the baton to Brook in the last cycle, exploded in the second half of the innings to reach his hundred in just 51 balls.

The result was an incredible knock from the right-handed duo that put together 233 runs, the highest ever partnership for England in T20Is. Among full member states, he is second only to Usman Ghani and Hazratullah Zazai with 236 caps for Afghanistan against Ireland in 2019.

England’s 257/3 also became their third-highest total in T20I history, behind 304/2 against South Africa in 2025 and 267/3 against West Indies in 2023. Photo: Reuters

With his knock of 95* from just 45 balls, Brook finished as England’s top scorer of the series. The skipper scored 229 runs from four innings at an average of 114.50. Meanwhile, Buttler ended the series with 175 runs, making a comeback after struggling in the first three matches.

The pair put right-arm paceman Prince Yadav to the sword and conceded 60 runs in their four overs. Shivam Dube, put on for the penultimate over, conceded 22 runs but picked up the wickets of Buttler and Jacob Bethell.

Yadav was one of two Indian bowlers to concede 60 or more runs. The other was Axar Patel who conceded 63 runs in his four overs and finished wicketless.

England’s batting master class added insult to India’s injury on Saturday 11 July. After giving up the series, India now risk losing their No.1 spot in the ICC T20I rankings.

– The end

Issued by:

Kingshuk Kusari

Published on:

11 Jul 2026 21:45 IST