Jos Buttler Achieves Milestone as England Faces Sri Lanka in Thrilling ODI

Jos Buttler has made history by becoming the first English player to score over 10,000 runs in ODIs and T20Is combined. His impressive performance in the second ODI against Sri Lanka included a quickfire 69 runs. Despite his efforts, England fell short, losing by 16 runs, leveling the series at 1-1. Kusal Mendis's century and strong bowling from Sri Lanka were key to their victory. Read on to discover more about this thrilling match and Buttler's remarkable achievement.

By Narendra Chaudhary Sep 25, 2026, 07:25 IST

Buttler Makes History in Leeds

In a remarkable feat, England's wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler became the first player from his nation to surpass 10,000 runs in total across ODIs and T20Is during the second ODI against Sri Lanka in Leeds. This achievement further cements his status as one of the finest limited-overs batsmen for the England team.

Buttler entertained the crowd with a powerful innings of 69 runs off 49 balls, featuring five fours and five sixes, before leaving the field due to an injury. His efforts came during a challenging chase of 322 runs, which initially seemed manageable until Sri Lanka's bowlers tightened their grip.

With 204 ODIs under his belt and 176 innings played, Buttler has amassed 5,678 runs, boasting an average of 39.15 and a strike rate of 115.54, including 11 centuries and 30 fifties, with a top score of 162*. He ranks as England's third-highest run-scorer in ODIs. In T20Is, he leads the charts with 4,384 runs from 163 matches and 150 innings, averaging 34.79 and striking at 150.13, which includes two centuries and 30 fifties.

Overall, Buttler has scored 10,062 runs in 367 white-ball matches and 326 innings, averaging 37.12, with 13 centuries and 60 fifties, and a best score of 162*. When including his Test runs, he has a total of 12,969 runs from 424 matches and 426 innings, averaging 35.82 with a strike rate of 98.25, featuring 15 centuries and 78 fifties.

In the match, Sri Lanka triumphed by 16 runs, leveling the three-match series at 1-1. Kusal Mendis played a pivotal role with a century, while the Sri Lankan bowlers excelled in the death overs.

Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat first, with Pathum Nissanka contributing 25 runs and Kamindu Mendis scoring 54. Kusal Mendis's impressive 121 runs off 100 balls marked his seventh ODI century, helping him cross the 5,000-run milestone in ODIs.

Pavan Rathnayake and Janith Liyanage also made valuable contributions, leading Sri Lanka to a total of 321/6 in their 50 overs. England's chase began strongly with openers Tom Banton and Ben Duckett, but they faltered towards the end, finishing at 305/9. Dunith Wellalage was the standout bowler for Sri Lanka, taking three wickets.