England white-ball captain Eoin Morgan is set to retire from international cricket.

Morgan is expected to announce his retirement during a press conference at Lord's on Tuesday, with vice-captain Jos Buttler poised to replace him.

The 35-year-old batter has transformed the white-ball fortunes of England since his appointment in 2014, leading his side to World Cup glory with a dramatic win over New Zealand at Lord's in 2019.

Morgan also guided England to the T20 World Cup final in 2016, before reaching the semi-finals of the same competition five years later.

While England have become a huge force in limited-overs cricket during Morgan's tenure, the left-hander has struggled with the bat in recent times.

England completed an ODI series sweep over Netherlands last week – extending their winning run to eight matches in the 50-over format – but Morgan failed to score in two matches before missing the final clash due to injury.

The Dublin-born Morgan has passed 50 just once in his past eight ODI innings since scoring 106 against Ireland in February 2020, and had vowed to step down when he felt he could no longer contribute.

England face India in a three-match T20I series starting on July 7 and are set to do so without their all-time leading run scorer in T20I and ODI cricket.

Morgan has scored 7,701 ODI runs and 2,458 runs in the shortest format at international level. His 248 ODIs and 115 T20s are also England records for appearances.

A brilliant leader and destructive batter, Morgan made his international debut for Ireland back in 2006 before committing to play for England. He played 16 Tests between 2010 and 2012.

Matthew Mott will expect England to continue playing the aggressive brand of cricket that Morgan instilled as his side go in search of T20 World Cup glory in Australia later this year.

They will then head to India next year attempting to defend their world title in the 50-over format.

Ben Stokes hailed Eoin Morgan as a "phenomenal leader" and Jos Buttler also voiced his support amid questions over the England white-ball captain's role in the side.

Stokes has taken the Test captaincy by storm, winning his first two matches against the world Test champions New Zealand, while England have been playing white-ball fixtures in the Netherlands.

England coasted to an eighth straight ODI win on Wednesday, their longest run since a streak between January and May 2017 (also eight), to complete the series sweep over the Netherlands.

Morgan missed that outing in the Amsterdam suburbs due to a groin issue, but the 35-year-old failed to score a run in each of the first two games.

The England white-ball skipper has passed 50 just once in his last eight ODI innings since scoring 106 against Ireland in February 2020, but Stokes was quick to back Morgan.

"Well, he's only had two low scores so I wouldn't say he's going through a hard time at the moment," said Stokes as England prepare for the third Test against New Zealand at Headingley on Thursday.

"I think the press are the only ones giving him a hard time and I think the players have shown it's not an issue with them.

"People are allowed to not score many runs and more than that he's our captain. He's a phenomenal leader and always will be so I've got no issues with anything going on with him at the moment."

Buttler stepped in as captain against the Netherlands in the absence of Morgan, blasting an unbeaten 86 from 64 deliveries as England chased 245 in just 30.1 overs.

The absence of Morgan was labelled as a "precautionary issue" by England and Buttler assured his captain has the backing of the entire team.

"There's certainly no questioning of his position from within the camp," Buttler said. "I can't put into words what he's achieved. 

"Everyone always talks about his captaincy but you forget what a brilliant batsman he's been for England in over 200 ODIs – that doesn't just go away overnight. Everyone in the team is backing him."

The destructive white-ball form of Buttler has led to suggestions he could return to the England Test side, with Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum encouraging an aggressive brand of cricket.

Buttler acknowledged he is in the form of his life, but says there has been no contact regarding a return to the red-ball team.

"I'd have to say yes," said Buttler, when asked whether he was in the form of his life. "The IPL was incredibly special personally to have a tournament like that, I surprised myself.

"I think what's important for us in white-ball cricket in England is we talk about playing in a particular fashion and we must try and live that to the max.

"Of course, there's a bit of a risk element to that way of playing but it's what we ask of everyone."

"I haven't had any conversations with anyone about [the Test team]. I'm very happy with where I'm at, at the moment. It might not ever be a question that has to be answered."

England raced to an eight-wicket ODI win over the Netherlands with almost 20 overs to spare, rounding off a 3-0 series triumph in style as Jason Roy hit an unbeaten century.

Having followed up last week's world-record ODI total of 498 with another six-wicket victory on Sunday, England had the opportunity to seal a series whitewash, which they seized in ruthless fashion as Roy (101 not out) and Jos Buttler (86no) starred.

England originally looked set to endure a more challenging contest when the Netherlands reached 203-3, but the hosts' spectacular collapse with the bat – in which David Willey (4-36) was influential – set the stage for another comfortable chase from the tourists.

Having been put in to bat by stand-in England skipper Buttler, the Netherlands recovered from Willey's fifth-over dismissal of Vikramjit Singh (6) to build a solid platform, with Tom Cooper the next to fall for 33 after the hosts reached 88-2.

The trio of Max O'Dowd (50), Bas de Leede (56) and captain Scott Edwards (64) went well before Willey took advantage of a total collapse as the hosts squandered their opportunity to set an imposing target.

Yorkshire fast-bowler Willey watched on as Liam Livingstone (1-40), Brydon Carse (2-49) and David Payne (1-38) accounted for the aforementioned trio, finishing with four wickets of his own after dismissing Logan van Beek (0), Aryan Dutt (0) and Paul van Meekeren (2) late on as the hosts were bowled out for just 244.

The Netherlands struggled to make early inroads in the field as England reached 85 without loss, though Van Meekeren's (2-59) patience was rewarded when he followed up the removal of Phil Salt (49) by sending David Malan packing for a duck within two balls.

But that proved to be the only blip of a dominant batting display, with the imperious duo of Roy and Buttler finishing unbeaten as the rest of the Dutch attack failed to take a single wicket, Buttler finishing a comfortable outing in fitting fashion with a six at the start of the 31st over.

Roy brings up double figures

Roy's 101 allowed England to race to victory in just over 30.1 overs, and represented the 10th ODI century of his England career. He is just the third opening batsman to reach that tally for the side, after Marcus Trescothick and Jonny Bairstow. 

Willey takes four as England ease to victory

Having gone 2-42 and 2-46 in England's first two wins over the Netherlands, Willey stepped it up another notch with a superb four-wicket haul, skittling the hosts as their early momentum dissipated ahead of a comfortable England chase. 

Dutch opener Vikramjit will be particularly glad to see the back of Willey, who has sent him packing in each of the series' three contests.

Eoin Morgan has been hailed as an "unbelievable leader" by Liam Livingstone, who assures the England captain is just "one score away" from finding form.

Morgan has guided England's white-ball sides through a transformative period since taking the captaincy in 2014.

The 35-year-old guided England to a dramatic World Cup triumph over New Zealand in the 50-over format in 2019, having taking his side to the T20 World Cup final three years before.

Another semi-final appearance came at the T20 World Cup in 2021, where England were defeated by New Zealand.

Matthew Mott has since taken the white-ball coaching role with England, who have defeated the Netherlands twice in as many ODIs to secure an unassailable 2-0 series lead before the final match on Wednesday.

While the likes of Phil Salt, Jos Buttler and Dawid Malan have delivered in the Amsterdam suburbs, Morgan has not scored a run across the two games.

Morgan has passed 50 just once in his last eight ODI innings since scoring 106 against Ireland in February 2020, but Livingstone voiced his support for the England skipper.

"The thing that has been forgotten is Morgs is an unbelievable leader," Livingstone told Sky Sports. "He is the leader of our team and everybody knows he is only one score away.

"I'm sure that score will come very soon and he'll be off and running again."

England blasted a world-record ODI score of 498 in the first match against the Netherlands, with Buttler smashing the second-fastest 50-over century for his country in just 47 balls.

All three of the fastest 50-over hundreds for England have come from Buttler, and Livingstone says he is learning every time he bats with the wicket-keeper.

"To watch Jos go about his business, it was nice to have him on my side this time round," Livingstone added, having played against Buttler in the Indian Premier League this year.

"It was pretty special to watch, especially from the other end.

"It's been great fun. It was nice to obviously break the world record on Friday, the lads have put in some really good cricket, it has been a great standard and hopefully it's the same again [on Wednesday]."

Eoin Morgan labelled Jos Buttler as the world's best white-ball cricketer after England posted a world-record ODI score in their 232-run thrashing of the Netherlands.

Buttler was at his destructive best in a spectacular unbeaten 162. He hit the second-fastest ODI hundred for England from 47 balls, facing just one delivery less than he did when setting that record.

The wicketkeeper-batter brought up his 150 from just 65 deliveries as England broke their own record of 481-6 with 498-4 in the Amsterdam suburbs on Friday.

Phil Salt (122) hit his maiden ODI century, while Dawid Malan (125) also reached three figures for the first time in this format as England bludgeoned the Netherlands attack in the first of three ODIs, racking up 26 sixes.

Liam Livingstone struck 50 in just 17 balls as he went agonisingly close to breaking AB de Villiers' record of 16 en route to 66 not out, England falling just two shy of the first score of 500 in ODI cricket and setting a total that also marked a List A record.

The Netherlands' chase was an exercise in futility and they were bowled out for 266.

England captain Morgan said of Buttler's showing: "It's incredible to watch, it's not something we ever get sick of, it's not something that we take for granted.

"It is amazing cricket. It is the reason why he's probably the best white-ball cricketer in the world at the minute."

Asked if he is in the form of his life, Buttler said: "Certainly feels that way. The IPL couldn't have gone better for me, certainly that gives you a hell of a lot of confidence. It was a good wicket, we got a great start and that gave us the licence to really attack."

On missing out on the fastest 150, he joked: "I'd take it at the start of the day."

England posted the highest score in ODI and List A history after Jos Buttler smashed the second-fastest 50-over international century against Netherlands.

An England side missing numerous Test stars, such as Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow, were quickly in the ascendancy when opener Phil Salt scored his first ODI hundred from 82 balls as the tourists posted 498-4.

Salt fell soon after for 122, with Dawid Malan carrying on the pressure as he reached his maiden 50-over international ton from 90 deliveries.

That made Malan just the second England player to score a century in all three formats, alongside Buttler, who joined the Yorkshire batter at the crease and started in destructive fashion.

Buttler was dropped on 37 by Musa Ahmed at long-on off the bowling of captain Pieter Seelaar before continuing his onslaught to reach three figures in just 47 balls.

All three of the fastest 50-over hundreds for England have come from Buttler after he achieved the feat in 46 balls against Pakistan in 2015 and 50 deliveries against the same opposition four years later.

Malan was then dismissed by Seelar for 125 and captain Eoin Morgan followed to the next ball but that only brought in Liam Livingstone, who crashed plundered 32 from a single Philippe Boissevain over.

Livingstone, dropped on 46 by Boissevain, subsequently brought up England's fastest ODI fifty off just 17 balls before the tourists recorded the highest score in 50-over internationals.

Morgan's side surpassed their own previous international record 481 set at Trent Bridge against Australia in 2018, as well as the List A benchmark set when Surrey scored 496 in 2007 against Gloucestershire.

Eoin Morgan views an ODI series against the Netherlands as a great opportunity for England's uncapped bowlers to make their mark at the start of the Matthew Mott era.

With Jofra Archer and Mark Wood among the world champions' absentees due to injury, seamer Luke Wood and paceman David Payne are set to make their debuts in the first bilateral series between England and the Netherlands.

The opening contest in the three-match series at VRA Cricket Ground in Amstelveen will be the world champions' first since Mott was appointed as white-ball head coach.

England captain Morgan has urged the new faces in the squad to grasp their chance.

He said: "With the injuries we've had in our bowling contingent over the last couple of months it has really hit us hard.

"But that also presents opportunities for other guys and everybody here has played a role in some way or another.

"Luke Wood is joining the squad for the first time, David Payne in a similar instance but his second tour having been in the West Indies, so it's great to have those guys around the group."

England will also be without their Test contingent, who sealed a series win over New Zealand by playing in one-day mode to secure a five-wicket win at Trent Bridge on Tuesday.

The tourists have won all their three ODIs against the Netherlands heading into the first match between the two nations since 2011 in the 50-over format.

England will be playing their first ODI since completing a 3-0 whitewash of Pakistan last year, while the Dutch have lost nine consecutive games.

Batter Tom Cooper has been recalled for what will be his first international appearance since 2016 and a first ODI in nine years, while teenager spinner Tom Pringle is poised to make his Netherlands debut.

 

A family affair

Shane Snater plys his trade for Essex and he will be a familiar face for one particular member of the England side.

Snater is a cousin of Jason Roy, who will be expected to provide fireworks at the top of the order for England.

Roy is in great touch, having scored back-to-back T20 Blast half-centuries for Surrey.

 

Buttler to serve up a treat?

The Netherlands bowlers will not need reminding of the importance of dismissing Jos Buttler early on.

The England wicketkeeper-batter was the leading run-scorer in the Indian Premier League with 863 at an average of 57.53 and a strike rate of 149.05.

Buttler scored four centuries from 17 innings for runners-up Rajasthan Royals.

Eoin Morgan says he will step aside as England white-ball captain when he feels he is no longer contributing, while he hailed Jos Buttler as "probably the best in the world".

Morgan has overseen a period of transformative change with England in limited-overs cricket since his appointment as captain in 2014.

The 35-year-old guided England to a dramatic Cricket World Cup win in the 50-over game in 2019, three years after taking his side to the T20 World Cup final.

He followed that up with another semi-final appearance at the T20 World Cup in 2021, where England were defeated by New Zealand.

England have become the dominant force in white-ball internationals, with Australian Matthew Mott taking over as the limited-overs coach ahead of the three-match ODI series against Netherlands.

Morgan will lead a much-changed side to Netherlands, with the Test series against New Zealand ongoing, before facing India and South Africa in three-match series' in both T20I and ODI cricket.

The middle-order batter has somewhat struggled for form and been hampered by injuries, though, and he admitted he will step down if he believes he can no longer deliver.

"I would love to say I am finishing here or there and that's it. I would love to work like that but the way my body is at the moment, I can't work like that," Morgan told Sky Sports.

"If I injured myself tomorrow and it was going to be quite a prolonged injury then I wouldn't be doing the team and myself any favours if I still held a commitment to finish at a certain point.

"If I don't think I am good enough or I don't feel I am contributing to the team, then I will finish.

"That's just the way I am and I hope that rubs off onto the team. Your leader doesn't have to be selfless, they can be whoever he or she wants to be, but I feel this is a better way of doing things.

"Since taking the captaincy [any lack of form] has not been a huge issue for me, simply because I know if I am not good enough to score runs or contribute then I will drop myself.

"I know I will come back into form at some stage. The cycle throughout my career has been a complete rollercoaster, so it's nothing strange."

Luke Wood and David Payne are the new faces in England's squad ahead of June's tour of Netherlands, which starts on Friday.

But there will be familiar names among the ranks, with Moeen Ali, Buttler and Liam Livingstone all part of the 14-man touring party.

Morgan picked out Buttler – who enjoyed a phenomenal Indian Premier League stint with Rajasthan Royals, scoring 863 runs to win the Orange Cap – and Moeen for special praise.

"Jos is one of the best in the world. Right here and now, he probably is the best in the world," he added.

"He enjoys that with where he is in his career, it sits well with him. The big thing you notice about how he plays is that everything he does is revolved around winning the game.

"When you are a little bit younger all you are trying to do is impact the game. The older you get it is about getting your side over the line.

"Rajasthan were heavily dependent on his runs and he took on that responsibility while also being able to take risks.

"Moeen has been incredible. He is unbelievably respected on and off the field and has given so much of himself in our changing room. He is always himself, never tries to be anyone else.

"He has the ability to break the ice but also take things seriously when needed and obviously the role he plays in the community he is from is huge.

"He embraces being that role model and I hugely admire him for that."

Luke Wood and David Payne are the new faces in England's first ODI squad ahead of June's three-match tour of the Netherlands.

Lancashire seamer Wood and Gloucestershire paceman Payne have been included in a 14-man party by white-ball coach Matthew Mott.

England have not played an ODI series since facing Pakistan in July 2021.

While Payne was previously called up for last year's series, this is Wood's first inclusion in the national set-up, with both seeking a maiden cap.

Captain Eoin Morgan returns after missing out last year due to a COVID-19 outbreak that forced a complete last-gasp squad overhaul.

Apart from Payne, Brydon Carse, Dawid Malan and Phil Salt are the only players from that second-string selection to make the cut this time, as a host of familiar faces come back into the mix.

Among them are Liam Livingstone and Jos Buttler, who both enjoyed successful campaigns in the Indian Premier League.

Livingstone scored 437 runs across 14 appearances for Punjab Kings, while Buttler's superb form propelled Rajasthan Royals to Sunday's final, though they lost to Gujarat Titans.

"We have tremendous depth with a blend of youth and experience," Mott stated. "We want to continue to play in an expressive style and let our players showcase their skills and firepower.

"Luke Wood deserves his call-up. He has been consistent for Lancashire over the past 12 months and we have been monitoring his progression.

"If given a chance to play, I'm sure he will make most of his opportunity. This is a historic occasion for the sport and the first time England men have played the Netherlands in an ODI series.

"We can't wait to head over to Amsterdam and put on a show for the thousands of fans travelling to support the team."

The series against the Netherlands starts at Amstelveen on 17 June, with the next two games to follow at the same venue on June 19 and 22.

England squad in full: Eoin Morgan, Moeen Ali, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, David Payne, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, David Willey, Luke Wood.

Hardik Pandya said victory for Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League final was a "legacy" moment for the rookie team.

The Titans scorched to a seven-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals, getting home with 11 balls to spare as captain Pandya's man-of-the-match display paved the way.

He took 3-17 as the Royals were limited to 130-9, before weighing in with 34 runs as Gujarat cruised to their target and the IPL title at their home ground, the Narendra Modi Stadium.

Pandya was acquired after being released by Mumbai Indians, with whom he was four times a champion, and he said the Titans' success in their maiden season would be remembered for years to come.

"Obviously I count myself lucky. I've been in five finals, and I've won five times, so it's very exciting," Pandya said at the post-match presentation.

"This is going to be a very special one because we spoke about creating legacy and making sure that in generations to come everyone will remember this is the team that started this journey.

"To win the championship in the first year is very special."

Pandya bowled a steady line and got his rewards, before playing a reasonably patient innings, making his runs from 30 balls.

Known for his explosive batting, Pandya has reined that in at times this season and reaped the rewards, scoring an IPL career-high 487 runs across the campaign.

Pandya said of his bowling on Sunday: "For me it was all about sticking to the right length and asking the batters to play a good shot rather than me trying something and giving away a boundary."

When asked about his batting, and veering away from sky-high strike rates, Pandya said he was acting for the betterment of himself and his team.

"Any given day I'd take the trophy than me batting at 160 or 170 [strike rate]," he said. "For me, my team is the most important, whichever team I play for.

"I have always been that kind of individual. Outside noise does not bother me, and if I have to sacrifice and maybe have a worse season and my team still wins, I'll take that."

Rajasthan were looking for another Jos Buttler masterclass in Ahmedabad, but the English opener fell for 39 from 35 balls, Pandya taking the prized scalp.

Buttler finished the season as the competition's leading run-scorer, making four centuries and plundering 863 runs in all at a strike rate of 149.05 runs per 100 balls.

He achieved competition-highs in fours (83) and sixes (45), and was only sorry that the Royals fell at the final hurdle.

Buttler said: "I've exceeded all my expectations of this season apart from today, managing to take home the trophy we really wanted.

"I'm disappointed with that but want to say a big congratulations to Hardik and his team. I think they're very deserving champions.

"I think in good teams you have a lot of trust in everyone and I certainly have huge trust in everyone in our team. We all played fantastically well all season. We came up short today.

"I've lost plenty of finals in my career unfortunately, but today's been an amazing occasion and it's been a fantastic tournament."

Buttler spoke of the players' delight that crowds returned this season, having been kept away previously by the pandemic, and urged his younger colleagues "to soak it up and use the hurt from today to push you on further in the rest of your career".

"All good things must end," reasoned Hardik Pandya when he was released by Mumbai Indians last December.

Well Hardik, it seems the good times are back.

On Sunday, at their home Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Pandya captained Gujarat Titans to glory in the Indian Premier League final.

He took 3-17 with the ball and added 34 with the bat in an outstanding effort as the Titans beat the Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets with 11 balls to spare.

Pandya had struggled to stay fit and make an all-round contribution for Mumbai, whose four retentions ahead of the IPL auction were Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav and Kieron Pollard.

How did that work out for them? Well, Mumbai finished bottom of the table, while Pandya picked up the trophy as skipper of newcomers Gujarat, whose maiden season could hardly have gone any better.

Mumbai's decision might – just might – have been a misjudgement.

We all make those. Just ask Yuzvendra Chahal.

What might have happened here if Chahal had clung to a glorious chance from the fourth delivery of the Titans' reply to the Royals under-par 130-9, rather than let the ball escape his flailing grasp?

Shubman Gill escaped that scare off Trent Boult's bowling and went on to carry his bat, cracking the match-winning six off Obed McCoy to finish unbeaten on 45, sharing in partnerships of 63 with Pandya and 47 with David Miller, whose rapid-fire 32 not out from 19 balls steered the Titans to the brink.

Rajasthan's total looked for all the world like a losing score, and it proved that way, but for a while the Royals had to take heart from the fact Mumbai posted 129-8 in the 2017 final and still won by one run against Rising Pune Supergiant.

Jos Buttler made a team-high 39 from 35 balls for the Royals in this game, and that took the Englishman to 863 runs for the season, the second-highest total by any batter in a single edition of the IPL after Virat Kohli's 973 runs in the 2016 season.

But the Royals were looking for more from their talisman, who removed his helmet and shielded his face as he left the field, knowing his team were looking to him to provide an onslaught late in the innings.

Who removed him? Pandya, of course, with Buttler looking to glance away a lively delivery to third man but instead feathering through to Wriddhiman Saha.

Gujarat celebrated with understandable gusto. Buttler hit four centuries in the IPL season, as many as all other players combined, carrying them this far. But he was gone after 12.1 overs, angry with himself, and nobody else stepped up in his absence.

The Titans began their chase slowly but kept wickets in hand.

A dishy delivery from leg-spinner Chahal eventually removed Pandya, edging to slip from a ball that turned extravagantly. Pandya was despondent, but the Titans skipper knew he could rely on others to complete the job.

Pandya finished the season with 487 runs, his highest total in an IPL season, but most importantly he now has a fifth title of his career in this competition, after four with Mumbai.

"For me, my team is the most important thing, whichever team I play for," he said at the end of the game.

The Titans were thanking their lucky stars that Mumbai decided Pandya was dispensable. On this, and the season's evidence, Pandya is anything but.

Gujarat Titans rounded off a glorious first Indian Premier League season by beating the Rajasthan Royals in Sunday's final to crown themselves champions.

The Royals had been hoping to enjoy a first IPL final success since 2008 but once again came unstuck against Gujarat, who produced a professional display in front of a home crowd in Ahmedabad.

Gujarat beat the Royals by 37 runs in April and by seven wickets just last week, with the latter result repeated on Sunday.

There was a sense the Royals were waiting for the in-form Jos Buttler to provide inspiration, but shortly after seeing Devdutt Padikkal (two) slice to Mohammed Shami at short third man, the England international came up short on a delivery from the excellent Hardik Pandya (3-17), going for 39.

The Royals looked in trouble at 79-4 in the 13th over and their position did not get much stronger.

With Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore (2-20) also impressing with the ball, no one else managed more than 15 runs after Buttler's dismissal, with their score of 130-9 the second-lowest first innings total ever in an IPL final.

The Titans were fortunate in the first over of their chase as Yuzvendra Chahal inexplicably dropped Shubman Gill, who went on to make the Royals pay.

While the wickets of Prasidh Krishna (five) and Matthew Wade (eight) tumbled, Gill proved to be the backbone of the Titans' tilt with an unbeaten 45, aided by Hardik (34) for a while.

Chahal made amends to a degree with a classic leg spinner's dismissal of Hardik in the 14th over, giving the Royals a glimmer of hope.

But David Miller's emphatic unbeaten 32 off just 19 balls sealed the Titans' success with 11 balls to spare.

Buttler or bust

Buttler's angry reaction to being dismissed said it all. After a brilliant season in which he plundered four centuries, it ultimately felt like his campaign ended with a bit of a whimper.

While his 39 was only bettered by Gill, the scalp of Buttler was clearly decisive given the lack of runs elsewhere for the Royals.

Catches win matches

It is impossible to say how things would have turned out if Chahal had held on to that catch on the fourth ball of the Titans' chase, but considering it let Gill – the top scorer in the match – off the hook, it is difficult to look at that moment as anything other than key.

You could have sympathy with Chahal had it been a tricky one, but it looked routine and he simply appeared to misjudge the flight, almost jumping over it.

England Test head coach Brendon McCullum cannot see any reason why Jos Buttler's destructive white-ball form could not carry over into five-day cricket.

Buttler blasted the Rajasthan Royals into their first Indian Premier League final for 14 years with a blistering unbeaten 106 off just 60 balls to secure a seven-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore on Friday.

That took the 31-year-old to four centuries in this IPL campaign – as many as every other player combined – and five hundreds in total, just one shy of Chris Gayle's record of scoring six tons in the competition in his career.

Buttler will look to deliver again when the Royals face Gujarat Titans in the final in Ahmedabad on Sunday, and his form has led to questions whether he could make a return to England's Test side.

England dropped Buttler after the wicketkeeper-batsman averaged 15.3 during the most recent Ashes thrashing by Australia. He has scored only two centuries in 100 Test innings.

But the newly appointed McCullum – who faces home nation New Zealand in his first series in charge, starting on Thursday – can envisage Buttler taking his white-ball skills into red-ball cricket.

"Jos is one of those players you look at instantly and think: how could he be so dominant in one form of the game and not quite have found his feet, other than a few fleeting performances, in Test cricket?" McCullum said.

"There's no reason why, if you're good at T20, you can't bring those skills into Test cricket.

"There's certainly guys you look at and think there's a lot of talent that could improve the side given the right opportunity. It's just a matter of trying to identify how they're going to do that."

Moeen Ali, who played for Chennai Super Kings in this year's IPL, is another name linked with a return to England's Test side, along with Liam Livingstone and Adil Rashid.

"I'm sure if Mo wanted to [play Test cricket] and was prepared to put the yards in to make it back into the side, then he'd challenge, no doubt," McCullum added.

"Livingstone, Moeen, Rashid. All these guys have played international cricket before, been successful in the other forms of the game, and you'd think they'd be able to transition across, but we'll see.

"I look at them and think there'll be a time where they may get an opportunity if they're invested enough.

"There's probably been a bit of hurt at times for those guys, too, because they've been in the team at times and then out of the team at others, and there hasn't been that persistence for them.

"I'm not sure you're going to play someone like Rashid every game, every year, anyway. He might not even be interested, so we might be talking about something we don't need to be.

"But my mentality is: if they're the best cricketers, why not have a conversation and see where you get to?

"If we're playing an attractive brand of cricket, we're successful and people are getting right behind what we're doing, then that might pique a bit of the interest of some of those guys. We'll build it first, then we'll see."

Livingstone has played 20 limited-overs internationals for England but is yet to feature for the Test side.

Questions remain over his interest in the longest format, with lucrative deals on offer in the IPL, and McCullum believes a discussion must be had with Livingstone over his commitments.

"A conversation needs to be had about what his appetite for Test cricket is. If he is keen on playing, then how does he see himself getting into the side?" McCullum said.

"Just because you're a good cricketer, it doesn't mean you automatically get selected. You've still got to earn the right to be able to do so."

Kumar Sangakkara cannot recall seeing anyone bat better than Rajasthan Royals run machine Jos Buttler in the Indian Premier League ahead of the final against Gujarat Titans.

Buttler blasted the Royals into their first final for 14 years with a scintillating unbeaten 106 off only 60 balls to secure a seven-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore in Qualifier 2.

The England wicketkeeper-batter hit six sixes and 10 fours in a masterclass at Narendra Modi Stadium on Friday, taking his tally of centuries for the season to four.

Buttler is only one shy of Chris Gayle's record of scoring six IPL hundreds ahead of the final in Ahmedabad on Saturday.

The 31-year-old is the leading run-scorer in the tournament with 824 from 16 innings at an average of 58.86 and Royals director of cricket Sangakkara has never seen anything like it. 

He said: "It's hard to describe what he has done for us this season. I think he started off so well, had a little bit of a flutter at one point in the tournament, but he calmed himself down, had good conversations rather than just training.

"He accepted he's mortal, he's human and he can't have that high level of excellence every single day. And to understand how you kind of reach that level at every game in different stages.

"Some days you have to fight and look ugly, other days your rhythm is there. The reality is you can't fight that condition, but fight what's happening on the day.

"You have to settle into it and build an innings. He can accelerate at any point, has all the strokes and understands the game really well. I can't remember anyone batting this well in the history of the IPL."

Rajasthan have not reached a final since they won the inaugural IPL in 2008, when the late Shane Warne captained them to victory.

Gujarat topped the table in their first IPL season and beat the Royals by seven wickets in Qualifier 1 to move into the final.

David Miller struck a rapid 68 not out in that victory and the South Africa batter says he is reaping the rewards of the Titans putting their faith in him.

He said: "I feel like I am repeating myself. But one thing that changed this season, is that I am playing every game.

"The last four-five years in IPL… I had a bad season in 2016 and then haven't really felt backed at all. That’s the nature of the IPL. There are so many overseas players and only four can play.

"I had to go back and work on my game. Although I felt really good playing for the domestic teams in South Africa, I was looking to find that good nick. That's what happened this season."

The latest episode in Jos Buttler's outstanding 2022 IPL took Rajasthan Royals through to the final and a rematch with Gujarat Titans.

The Royals were beaten by the Titans in the first qualifier, forcing them to face Royal Challengers Bangalore on Friday for a place in the season's showpiece.

Buttler ensured RCB were soundly beaten, smashing an unbeaten 106 off 60 balls to clinch a seven-wicket victory.

The Royals still had 11 balls to spare when Buttler's sixth six completed the job on 161-3.

None of the England star's team-mates had to pass 25 runs as he did all the heavy lifting in partnerships of 61 with Yashasvi Jaiswal, 52 with Sanju Samson, 35 with Devdutt Padikkal and 13 with Shimron Hetmyer in reply to RCB's 157-8.

A stunning Buttler catch had removed the dangerous Rajat Patidar (58) in the outstanding moment of the RCB innings, too, as his almost single-handed pursuit of the title continued.

Buttler blowing away the competition

This has long since been Buttler's best IPL campaign, and there remains a slim chance he also takes the tournament record. In pursuit of Virat Kohli's 973 runs in 2016, he moved on to 824 for this tournament with his fourth century. The rest of the players in this year's IPL have produced only four hundreds between them.

As well as the most runs in the 2022 IPL, Buttler leads the way for fours (78, 26 clear of second place) and sixes (45, 11 clear).

Top two tussle once again

This will be the Royals' first final since the inaugural IPL in 2008, when they took the title, but Rajasthan will have their work cut out against a Titans side who are in their debut season.

Gujarat finished two points ahead of the second-placed Royals in the points table, having won the match between the pair by 37 runs. The margin in the subsequent qualifier was seven wickets. Buttler top-scored for Rajasthan on both occasions, but their opponents have collectively shown they have the firepower to match him.

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