Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has backed Jos Buttler to deliver in the IND vs ENG semi final at Wankhede Stadium despite his disappointing form in the T20 World Cup 2026.
Jos Buttler has had a poor run in the tournament so far. He has scored only 62 runs in seven innings, with an average of 8.85 and a strike rate of 106.89. These numbers are far below the level people expect from a player of his quality. Even then, England have continued to include their former captain in the playing XI.
Speaking on the ICC Review, former Australia captain Ricky Ponting said England may think about their options, as Phil Salt can also keep wickets, but he would still trust experienced players in important matches.
Ponting feels this could be the moment for Buttler to step up and make a strong impact.
He believes that England wicket-keeper batter has a key role in dealing with that pressure and said he would continue to back him in such a big match.
“They’ve actually got a decision whether they play Buttler or not, considering that they’ve got Phil Salt who can do the wicketkeeping in that lineup as well. But I’m sticking with those big name players in these big games. He played a lot of games at Wankhede. He’ll know that stadium well. He’ll know the surface well. Jos Buttler’s got a moment coming up when he walks out to bat and faces his first ball to really make some sort of impact on this tournament for his team, ” Ricky Ponting said.
“Buttler’s going to be one that’s going to have to do that and get through without losing those early wickets. So no, I’ll back Jos Buttler in a big game for England,” he added
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England have played very well in the World Cup so far. They have won six out of their seven matches. They also finished at the top of their Super 8 group after beating Sri Lanka, Pakistan and New Zealand.
In the history of the ICC T20 World Cup, England and India have faced each other five times. England have won two of those matches since their first meeting in 2007.
This will be the third straight time that India and England meet in a T20 World Cup semi final. England won the semi-final in 2022, while India won in 2024. On both occasions, the team that won the semi-final went on to win the tournament.
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