Jos Buttler centuries in international cricket: ODI, T20I and Tests

Jos Buttler is widely considered to be one of the most dynamic batsmen in modern-day cricket. The 33-year-old has all the shots in his book to terrorize any bowling opposition who can be very innovative with his strokeplay. Buttler, who is currently captaining England in white-ball cricket has been in lethal form in recent times, as the growing number of Jos Buttler centuries testify. 

Softly spoken and unassuming, with supple hands and a great eye, Buttler kills opposing bowling attacks through graceful improvisation. His straight shot for six over long-on and the occasional resort to a nerveless ramp shot over the wicketkeeper are among his most eye-catching shots.

Jos Buttler centuries
Photo by Icon Sport

Read also: Jos Buttler on Jason Roy's World Cup omission

Buttler helped revolutionize England's limited-overs batting following their dismal exit from the 2015 World Cup edition. Having made his international debut in 2011, Buttler had to wait for a few years before making his presence felt on the grand stage. In an 18-month period from mid-2014, he scored England's three fastest one-day hundreds at the time which featured swashbuckling knocks against Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and a 46-ball onslaught against Pakistan in Dubai. He was subsequently able to transfer his red-hot form from white-ball cricket to other formats and quickly became one of the most versatile players for years to come.

As of today, the England white-ball skipper holds some impressive records under his belt. The right hand wicketkeeper-batsman is one of only four Englishmen to score a T20I century and is also the highest run-scorer for England in T20I. In addition, he holds the world record for the biggest seventh wicket stand across ODIs of 177 runs with Adil Rashid against New Zealand in the 2015 home series. Read on for everything you need to know about all the best Jos Buttler centuries in international cricket.

Jos Buttler centuries: Career summary

Jos Buttler is a successful three-format specialist player who has featured in 336 international matches for England. The Taunton-born wicketkeeper-batsman has played 57 tests, 170 ODIs, and 109 T20Is. In his 336-match-long international career, Buttler has been able to amass 14 international centuries most of which came in the ODI format. 

FormatMatInnsRunsHSAveSR100s50s
Tests57100290715231.9454.18218
ODIs1701434866162*41.58117.841125
T20Is1091002766101*35.01144.66120

In tests, Buttler has smashed 2907 runs at a formidable average of 31.94 which involves two centuries. However, the bulk of his runs came in the ODI format where he plundered 4866 runs at an impressive average of 41.58 featuring 11 centuries. While in T20Is, Buttler has scored 2766 runs which includes his career-best score of 101* which also happens to be his solitary century in this format.

Overall, the charismatic wicketkeeper-batsman has accumulated 10,539 runs across the sport's three formats and has a overall batting average of 36.17. Now that we have delved into Jos Buttler’s overall cricketing career, let us closely examine some of Jos Buttler centuries. 

Best Jos Buttler centuries: ODI, T20I and Tests

Jos Buttler is an accomplished wicket-keeper batsman in international cricket and his record speaks for itself. When he looks at his threatening best, Buttler can demolish any formidable bowling opposition. Here is a snapshot of some Jos Buttler centuries across all three formats.  

Jos Buttler ODI centuries 

The Taunton-based wicketkeeper-batsman has been England’s prolific run-getter in ODI cricket. In 170 ODI games, Jos has notched up 11 centuries in this format averaging 41.58 while striking at an explosive strike rate of 117.84. In addition, he has also scored 25 half-century scores. 

While Buttler boasts a long list of ODI centuries, some of his centuries have been a joy to watch for his fans. Most of the Jos Buttler centuries in ODI cricket came against Pakistan (three), while two centuries apiece came against South Africa and Australia. 

RunsOppositionGroundStart Date
100”Vs AustraliaSydney Cricket Ground21 Jan 2018
110*Vs AustraliaOld Trafford24 Jun 2018
162*Vs NetherlandsAmstelveen17 Jun 2022
129Vs New ZealandEdgbaston9 Jun 2015
116*Vs PakistanDubai International Stadium20 Nov 2015
110*Vs PakistanSouthampton 11 May 2019
103Vs PakistanNottingham3 Jun 2019
105Vs South AfricaMangaung Oval, Bloemfontein3 Feb 2016
131Vs South AfricaKimberly1 Feb 2023
121 Vs Sri LankaLord’s 31 May 2014
150Vs West IndiesSt George’s 27 Feb 2019

Buttler played an insane knock against the Netherlands where he reached his career-best score of 162* in ODI cricket. He played a blazing knock that came at an astronomically high strike rate of 231.4 to push England to a monumental score of 498/4, which is currently the highest team total posted by any team in ODI cricket. 

His second-best ODI innings came against the West Indies in the 4th ODI match of a five-match ODI series which turned out to be a stalemate. However, Buttler’s magnificent ton (150 off 77) powered England to an imposing total of 418. West Indies went about the chase in belligerent style but a quick flurry of wickets in the backend of the innings curtailed them to 389.

Earlier this year, Buttler racked up another magnificent knock against South Africa at Kimberly where he scored a brutal 131 (127) which handed England a comfortable 59-run victory. Being adjudged Player of the Series, Buttler finished the ODI series on a high with 261 runs in his kitty. 

Jos Buttler T20I centuries 

Buttler has smashed a solitary century in this format and averages approximately 35.01 while striking it well over 140. Although the dynamic cricketer has one T20I century, a lot of Jos Buttler centuries in T20 format came in franchise cricket. 

RunsOppositionGroundStart Date
101*Vs Sri LankaShrajah1 Nov 2021

One of the most exciting Jos Buttler centuries was his match-saving knock of 101* against Sri Lanka in the 2021 T20 World Cup edition that rescued England from a very precarious position. On a sluggish track Buttler’s 101* (67) dragged England to a respectable total of 163. In pursuit of 164, Sri Lanka were prematurely bowled out for 137 and Buttler was later adjudged Player of the Match for his match-defining knock.

Jos Buttler Test centuries 

Buttler scored two centuries in test cricket, both of which came against Asia’s powerful cricketing giants. Compared to the other formats, Buttler’s strike rate as well as his average are significantly lower. However, the 32-year-old does play some well-constructed innings from time to time in red-ball cricket.

RunsOppositionGroundStart Date
152Vs PakistanSouthampton21 Aug 2020
106Vs IndiaNottingham18 Aug 2018

His first test century came against India back in 2018 in a losing cause. After conceding a gigantic first-innings lead, England faced the daunting task of chasing down a near-impossible target of 521. England's top-order was in absolute disarray, but Buttler kept his composure and tried to hold the innings together along with Ben Stokes. He was eventually dismissed for 106 with England still requiring 290 runs to win. His departure marked an immediate collapse as England lost that game by 203 runs.

His second test century came in slightly better circumstances when Pakistan toured England in 2020. During that match, Buttler played a marvelous innings of 152 which involved 13 fours and 2 sixes. He played a very patient knock and partnered well with Zak Crawley to take England to a sizeable total of 583. The total was so huge that Pakistan could not surpass it in two completed innings and the game eventually ended in a draw on day five.

Jos Buttler centuries: Near misses

There have been several instances where Buttler narrowly missed out on a well-deserved century. The most agonising moment came in an ODI match dating back to 2014 when Rampaul dismissed him on 99, one short of his maiden ODI ton. He perished while trying to intensify the ante during the final over of the first innings. 

Two years later, he missed out again during an ODI match against Sri Lanka which ended in a thrilling tie. In pursuit of 287, England were constantly jolted by a regular loss of wickets. However, Buttler went on to score 93 runs and gave his side a fighting chance before being dismissed by Prasanna during the 43rd over of the second innings. 

All you need to know about Jos Buttler centuries: His journey to the top

Jos Buttler was born on September 8, 1990, in the city of Taunton situated in the English country of Somerset. Buttler was educated at King's College, Taunton, where he displayed his early talent in cricket. His journey began at the U-13 level when he first started playing for Somerset's youth teams. 

Jos prospered as a player during his school days. While he was actively playing with the Somerset Youth teams, Jos also performed well in a lot of school games for Kings College. He finished the 2006 season as a leading run-scorer for his school, scoring 447 runs at an average of 49.66.

Buttler's first taste of international cricket began in 2008, when he represented England Under-17s in two warm-up matches against New Zealand Under-19s. Batting at number five, he scored a rapid 77 not out in the 50-over contest, hitting 11 fours plus two sixes during the 49 deliveries he faced. He also played in the two-day match between the two teams, scoring 45 in the first innings.

Jos Buttler centuries
Photo by Icon Sport

Subsequently, Jos eventually made his way to first-class cricket for Somerset in September 2009 for the County Championship match against Lancashire. However, he did not get the start that he was after and could score only 30 runs. But in the following year, Buttler began finding his feet in first-class cricket scoring his maiden ton in his fourth County Championship match against Hampshire. 

In his next match, he scored his debut List A half-century against Sussex which helped Somerset chase down 183 runs inside 129 deliveries from a very tricky situation. His continued good batting form saw him retain his place in the Somerset team upon Kieswetter's return who was the then-first choice wicketkeeper option for Somerset.

On the back of some impressive performances in the domestic circuit, Buttler earned his maiden T20I call-up against India in 2011. Later next year, he was included in the ODI squad as a specialist batsman in England's tour to UAE for an ODI series against Pakistan. But the tour ended on a disappointing note for him as he couldn’t accumulate a lot of runs. Nevertheless, Buttler continued to play T20 cricket for England consistently across 2012. 

In a match at Edgebaston against South Africa, Buttler and Kieswetter put on a belligerent show with the bat. Buttler plundered 32 runs off Wayne Parnell’s over, then the second most largest over in T20Is. That innings solidified Buttler's spot in the core of England's one-day side.

Jos Buttler’s exploits in global franchise cricket 

Widely regarded as one of the greatest English batsmen in limited-overs cricket, Jos Buttler centuries are known for their explosive strike rates and breath-taking shots. His ability to play unorthodox batting strokes and hit boundaries across all parts of the ground has made him one of the most exciting prospects to watch out for in global franchise cricket.

Buttler has become increasingly involved in playing franchise T20 cricket around the world and has been described as arguably England's first-ever global Twenty20 superstar. His first experience of franchise cricket came in 2013/14 when he played for Melbourne Renegades in the 2013–14 Big Bash League season in Australia. He later joined the IPL where he played for Mumbai Indians for two seasons in 2016 and 2017. However, he experienced a stellar form for Rajasthan Royals in the 2018 IPL equalling the league record for consecutive fifties.

In August 2022, Jos Buttler was drafted by Paarl Royals, a franchise owned by Royals Sports Group for US$500,000 in the inaugural season of the SA20 league. He emerged as the highest-paid drafted player in the league along with Liam Livingstone and also became the highest run-getter in that season finishing with 391 runs.

Bren GrayBren Gray

Bren is our resident Kiwi, and has been playing or watching sports down under in New Zealand for the better part of three decades. With 12+ years' experience as a professional writer, Bren loves to dive deep into all things cricket to bring the best betting analysis, predictions and news here at CricNerds.com.