T20 World Cup: Jos Buttler delights in superb century against Sri Lanka for England

Jos Buttler said his century against Sri Lanka was among his best international innings after England overcame the worst of the conditions and an injury to Tymal Mills to all but qualify for the T20 World Cup semi-finals.

‘It’s right up there,’ he said after hitting a superb 101 not out from 67 balls. ‘To put in a performance at a World Cup, where they’re all must-win games — I’m delighted to come through it. At times I was finding it tricky, but I used all my experience to stay patient. I trusted it would come.’

England were defending a total for the first time in the tournament, which meant their bowlers faced a constant struggle to grip the ball as the dew took hold during Sri Lanka’s chase.

‘It can certainly change the conditions,’ said Buttler. ‘It’s a great win for us as a team. The three matches before, we’ve won the toss and done what we wanted to do. Today we were at the worst end of the conditions. It shows the character of the side.’

Captain Eoin Morgan added: ‘I thought Jos Buttler played one of his best ever innings in an England shirt. It was incredible to be at the other end and watch just the ebb and flow, and then just the sheer domination at the end.

‘He really is one of the best in the game, a privilege to play with and great to have in our team.’

England must decide whether Mills can play any further part after injuring his right quad. David Willey and travelling reserve Reece Topley are left-arm seam-bowling alternatives.

English umpire Michael Gough has been stood down for six days by the ICC after breaching the World Cup’s bio-secure bubble. Gough, 41, was replaced for the India versus New Zealand match by South Africa’s Marais Erasmus.