England captain Joe Root called Buttler’s hit-wicket “heartbreaking” on Day 5 of the second Test between Australia and England in Adelaide.
Getting hit-wicket is one thing in international cricket, but when a batter has batted for nearly 200 balls with unwavering tenacity and desire to try to preserve a Test match for his team, it’s quite another. On the penultimate day of the second Ashes Test in Adelaide, England’s Jos Buttler was the unfortunate one. No wonder England captain Joe Root called Buttler’s hit-wicket “heartbreaking” after it occurred. Buttler deserved more than a hit-wicket after all his effort and perseverance during the game.
England’s second innings reached its 110th over when Buttler went onto his stumps, possibly still contemplating how to survive the next 24 overs to preserve an unlikely tie, with only Nos. 10 and 11 for company. Jhye Richardson’s delivery was nothing out of the usual. Off the back foot, Buttler had tapped it towards the point with ease. However, Buttler had retreated so far that his heels had come into contact with the stumps, causing the bails to become loose.
Day 5 of the second Ashes Test between Australia and England features a spectacular hit-out by Jos Butter.
Even the Australian players took a long to realize, but when they did, all of the close-in fielders ran to Richardson, while Buttler, who was actually hoping for a quick single, was taken aback. Looking behind him, the England keeper-batter realized what had prompted the Australian fielders to celebrate. After all, that’s what he’d done.
Despite batting for 207 balls and 258 minutes, the right-hander only scored 26 runs on the fifth day of the pink-ball Test.
“It was heartbreaking to witness [Buttler] escape in such a dramatic fashion; it demonstrated the extreme level of motivation required to succeed in this environment. In particular, his mentality was exceptional “After the victory, Root spoke to BT Sport.
Smith, too, was struck by Butler’s bravery on the field. The opposition provided by Jos (Buttler), Woakes, and Robbo was strong, according to me (Robinson). We knew it would take a few good deliveries and a few wickets to win,” Smith explained.
In the second Test, Australia took a 2-0 lead in the five-match series thanks to Buttler’s valiant effort, but it was not enough to preserve England.
At times, “we weren’t daring enough to get the ball up there and get them driving,” he said. Root said, “We’ve learned a lot, and we’ve got to be better in the next game.”
