Record partnership, highest total: Buttler, Brook add insult to India's injury

Jos Buttler and Harry Brook added insult to injury to Shreyas Iyer's India, racing to England's highest-ever T20I total against the Men in Blue. Sent in to bat in the fifth and final T20I at Southampton, Brook and Buttler added 233 runs for the first wicket, guiding the hosts to a mammoth 257/3.

Barring Arshdeep Singh, every Indian bowler was taken to the cleaners as the visitors were left searching for answers once again. It was Harry Brook who initially launched the attack against the Indian bowlers, reaching his fifty in just 19 balls, but Buttler slowly took over the show.

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BUTTLER-BROOK LEAVE INDIA REELING

The former England captain, who handed over the mantle to Brook in the last cycle, exploded in the second half of the innings, reaching his hundred off just 51 balls.

The result was some incredible hitting from the right-handed duo, who stitched together a 233-run opening stand, the highest-ever partnership for England in T20Is. Among Full Member nations, it ranks second only to Usman Ghani and Hazratullah Zazai's 236-run stand for Afghanistan against Ireland in 2019.

England's 257/3 also became their third-highest total in T20I history, behind 304/2 against South Africa in 2025 and 267/3 against the West Indies in 2023.

With his stroke-filled 95* off just 45 balls, Brook finished as England's highest run-scorer of the series. The captain scored 229 runs from four innings at an average of 114.50. Buttler, meanwhile, ended the series with 175 runs, bouncing back after struggling in the first three matches.

Right-arm pacer Prince Yadav was put to the sword by the duo, conceding 60 runs in his four overs. Shivam Dube, brought on for the penultimate over, leaked 22 runs but picked up the wickets of Buttler and Jacob Bethell.

Yadav was one of two Indian bowlers to concede 60 or more runs. The other was Axar Patel, who leaked 63 runs in his four overs and finished wicketless.

England's batting masterclass added insult to India's injury on Saturday, July 11. Having already surrendered the series, India now risk losing their No.1 spot in the ICC T20I rankings.