Alastair Cook and Jos Buttler react to England's narrow defeat to Lord's
By Callum Dent
Jos Buttler had mixed emotions after his stunning maiden international century proved in vain in the fourth Royal London one-day international against Sri Lanka at Lord’s.
The 23-year-old lit up the home of cricket by blasting 11 fours and a quartet of maximums in a remarkable 121 from 74 deliveries.
However, it was not enough to guide England, in pursuit of 301, to an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series ahead of the final match at Edgbaston on Tuesday.
Buttler, whose ton was the fastest in international cricket at HQ, told ecb.co.uk:“It is fantastic to play like that, the best I have ever played.
“It was so much fun when the crowd got behind me and Ravi, We had such a good time out there and nearly pulled it off.
“Obviously it is disappointing to not get over the line, which takes the edge off how special an innings it was for me.”
On comments from various pundits saying that the knock was the best-ever from an England player, Buttler responded: “It’s great to hear that and I am happy with the way I played.
“Hopefully I can continue and top that one day in a winning game for England.”
Buttler arrived at the crease with the hosts struggling on 111 for five following the loss of a trio of quick wickets.
Requiring another 190 from 22 overs did not faze the powerful Lancashire wicketkeeper-batsman, who starred alongside Ravi Bopara in a sixth-wicket stand of 133.
After Bopara departed for 51, Buttler continued the assault until the last over, where Lasith Malinga kept it tight.
And the paceman was the man to end the former Somerset player’s innings, running him out with the fourth ball to secure Sri Lanka a seven-run victory.
Buttler felt the situation was ideal for him and Bopara to take England close.
He said: “Because the rate was high, it took the pressure off.
A recap on some of the stats from that @josbuttler innings. Incredible effort #forEngland#EngvSLpic.twitter.com/R4hdBZ53DV
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) May 31, 2014
“No-one probably gave us a prayer around the ground or watching the game. That took the pressure off us. It allowed us to play and have some fun.”
“Me and Ravi spoke about it as if it was almost like a Twenty20 game, needing 180. We actually thought when we got going, we had a chance because we were keeping up with the rate.
“We were getting in control of the game at one stage, but we always had to think about Malinga. We just came up short.
“With 10 overs to go, it was ours to lose almost. You watch one-day cricket around the world now, you see how many runs are scored in the last 10 overs, it has gone through the roof.
“We were playing well and if we were both there at the end, we would have won the game. We got close, but not close enough.”
The narrow triumph for the tourists levelled the five-match series, meaning the clash in Birmingham is winner-takes-all.
Buttler is confident England can come out on top, adding: “It’s set it up. We have had some strange games of cricket so far in this series and hopefully Edgbaston is a win for England.”
Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews was full of praise for Buttler's sensational efforts.
"Jos played an unbelievable innings," said the all-rounder. "He nearly took us apart, and took the game away from us.
"He can hit the ball out of the park at any given time. He's an extremely talented young player, who played the innings of his life.
"The pressure is on all the time, and the bowlers are feeling it a lot more than me.
"But we stuck to our plans, did the basic things right. All in all it was a great effort from our whole team."