Jos Buttler has credited a pivotal conversation with England's batting coach Marcus Trescothick for helping him regain his top form and break the all-time T20 run-scoring record. The England wicketkeeper surpassed Kieron Pollard's mark of 14,803 runs while scoring a rapid 20-ball 51 for the Manchester Super Giants on Wednesday, marking his third score of 50 or more in his last four innings.
This recent surge in performance follows a challenging period for Buttler in the T20 World Cup earlier this year, where he averaged just 10.87 runs across eight matches as England exited in the semi-finals. However, his form has since rebounded, highlighted by a 64-ball 131 in his most recent international T20 outing against India last month.
Buttler explained that Trescothick's advice focused on technical adjustments to free up his mental game. "Marcus Trescothick said this to me, 'if you work on your technique, it allows your mind to free up'," Buttler stated. "A lot of time when people are out of form, it's like you've got to get out your own way. You're in your head, it's mental and you've got to lose that."
He elaborated on how focusing on his technique improved his vision at the crease. "Ultimately, I feel like I can't see the ball very well when I'm not playing well," he said. "So I was looking at the position I get to when the ball is coming out of the hand, and I worked back. I felt like my trigger movement was twisting as opposed to staying in line. I like to get into that position where I can see the ball really well, the angle of the bat second slip or third slip as opposed to pointing at the wicketkeeper."
Buttler noted that once he was comfortable with these technical changes, his mindset improved significantly. "So once I'd made the technical stuff and was comfortable and happy with that, my mindset was much better."
Currently, Buttler is the second-highest run-scorer in The Hundred this season with 277 runs, trailing only Mitch Marsh of Sunrisers Leeds, who has 290. Buttler also ranks second in total sixes with 20, again behind Marsh, who has 23.
In related news, Marcus Trescothick is set to take interim charge of the England Test side for the upcoming series against Pakistan, following the departure of Brendon McCullum. Buttler also commented on the evolving nature of his game, especially in the T20 format. "Sometimes, your technique can slip a little bit, in T20 cricket especially," he added, speaking in his capacity as an ambassador for the ECB's Cricket Cities project, which aims to increase participation in the sport. "But I think your game is always evolving and technique is always evolving a little bit. If I watch myself back now compared to when I was 25 there's differences. I do think Marcus was like right, that it was a technical change that allowed my mind to be freer."