England batter Jos Buttler has paid an emotional tribute to his late father, who passed away a week ago, posting a heartfelt message on Instagram on Monday.
The 33-year-old shared a picture of himself alongside his father holding the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup trophy from England’s 2019 triumph, captioned: “Rest in peace Dad, thank you for everything.”
The post came just days after one of the most difficult matches of Buttler’s career, when he turned out for Manchester Originals against Oval Invincibles in The Hundred on August 9. Choosing to play despite the personal loss, Buttler walked out to bat at Kennington Oval with his teammates wearing black armbands in honour of his father.
However, his time at the crease was short-lived. Attempting an expansive drive, he edged the ball straight to Donovan Ferreira and was dismissed for a four-ball duck. The wicket left the Originals in trouble, as they lost two batters in the space of four deliveries – both without scoring.
Captain Phil Salt’s 41 off 32 balls provided some resistance, helping the Originals post 129, but it was never a challenging target. Invincibles openers Will Jacks and Tawanda Muyeye made light work of the chase, each scoring a half-century and putting on a 114-run partnership to seal victory in just 57 balls.
It has been a slow start to The Hundred 2025 for Buttler, who also scored 22 off 18 balls in the Originals’ opening defeat to Southern Braves. This comes after a prolific IPL 2025 campaign for Gujarat Titans, where he amassed 538 runs at a strike rate of 163.03, including five fifties.
For Buttler, though, Saturday night was about much more than numbers. It was about stepping onto the field, bat in hand, to honour the man who had been there through every step of his cricketing journey.