Some players get better with age. Jos Buttler just seems to stay exactly where he's always been — miles ahead of everyone else.
The England legend smashed a sensational 90 off 50 balls to power Manchester Super Giants to an emphatic 87-run demolition of Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred 2026, in a performance so dominant that Buttler's individual score was only 10 runs shy of what the entire opposition managed as a team.
The Numbers That Say It All
Batting at Emirates Old Trafford, Buttler's innings featured seven fours and five sixes — marking the second-highest individual score ever recorded at the venue in the competition. Super Giants posted an imposing 187 for 5, with Heinrich Klaasen (20) offering support before a late flourish from Tom Moores — an unbeaten 39 off just 17 balls, including five sixes of his own, two of them dispatched off previously untouched spinner Usman Tariq.
Buttler and Moores put together a stand of 68 for the fifth wicket — a new franchise record, breaking the previous mark of 57.
In reply, Birmingham Phoenix simply had no answer. Chasing 188, they were bowled out for just 100, with Liam Dawson taking 3 for 15 as Super Giants' bowling attack — pace from Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue, and Sonny Baker, combined with spin from Dawson and Noor Ahmad — gave Phoenix's batters nowhere to hide.
In His Own Words
Buttler, named Player of the Match, summed up the innings with characteristic understatement afterward:
"We got a really good score, bowled fast and made it look tricky. I felt good, for a while now, off the mark first ball... glad to bat most of it and post a good score."
He also praised the tactical approach against the spinners, noting Moores specifically targeted them with the wind favoring the short boundary.
Why This Result Matters
This win keeps Manchester Super Giants perfect through two matches, joining Welsh Fire as the only unbeaten sides so far this Hundred season, after they had also edged London Spirit by 7 runs in their opener.
For Phoenix, it's a reality check — this was their first loss of the campaign after an earlier 10-run win over Trent Rockets, and it dropped their form line significantly. Notably, Phoenix are also dealing with injuries to key players Jacob Bethell and Mustafizur Rahman, further stretching an already thin bowling attack that had no left-handers in the batting order to counter it.
A Day of Drama Elsewhere Too
Buttler's heroics weren't the only headline from the day's Hundred action. At Trent Bridge, Trent Rockets pulled off a tense four-wicket win over London Spirit in a genuine sibling rivalry — Craig Overton hit the winning runs off a top-edged six against his own twin brother, Jamie, bowling for the opposition, sealing the win with two balls to spare after Ben Duckett's excellent 75 had set up the chase.
The Bottom Line
Buttler continues to prove why he remains one of white-ball cricket's most feared batters. This kind of individually dominant performance — nearly outscoring an entire opposition team by himself — is exactly the sort of highlight-reel content that travels well across the cricketing world. Expect Super Giants to be one of the prime contenders as the tournament progresses toward the playoffs.