England captain joss butler He has expressed that he is happy that Ben Stokes has regained his form as the T20 World Cup nears its end. Buttler backed the Sox, saying the all-rounder could play multiple roles in the team thanks to his talent.
After a formidable tournament so far, Stokes held his nerve through a middle-order collapse to propel England into the semi-finals with a four-wicket win over Sri Lanka on Saturday.
Stokes scored 42 runs in 36 balls including two fours.
After a solid start of Butler and Alex HalesEngland’s batsmen lost the plot with half the side in the dugout, largely due to mystery spinner Wanindu Hasaranga, before Stokes had lined up the former champions.
“He is made for these kinds of situations and I am happy for him. When he is at the crease, it gives you peace,” Butler said in a post-match presentation.
“He can play a lot of roles. He influences the game in all three aspects. He’s a proper competitor. Getting to this stage of competition is where you see him grow and grow.”
England bowlers blew away Sri Lanka on Pathum Nisanka’s sizzling fifty to restrict the Asia Cup champions below 150.
“He started really well, and we thought the wicket would play as it was a used wicket. But the way Adil Rashid brought us back was amazing.
“A lot of people look at the end product with him, he doesn’t have the wicket but he is bowling well.”
England, second in Group 1, are set to play their semi-final against the winners of Group 2 in Adelaide.
“Excited to go there, we just need to find a way to win today. It’s time to go out there and think about the semi-finals,” Butler said.