DUBAI : Another astonishing Jos Buttler knock helped England recover from three early wickets to post 163-4 batting first against Sri Lanka in Group 1 in Sharjah.

Buttler reached his ton with a six off the final ball of the innings, and his brilliant 101 is the 31-year-old’s highest individual score in T20 international cricket.

Wandindu Hasaranga was the pick of the bowlers with three for 21 off his four overs, becoming the fifth-fastest bowler in history to reach 50 T20I wickets in the process.

England started where they left off with the bat, knocking 12 off the opening over with Jason Roy looking intent on taking the attack to Sri Lanka.

But Roy’s offensive lasted just one ball against Wanindu Hasaranga, with the spinner skidding a googly under Roy’s attempted sweep and cleaning him up.

Dawid Malan, in at three, received a let-off on six when an inside edge off Dushmantha Chameera fell fractionally short of the keeper. But the top-ranked batter in T20I cricket fell the very next delivery, playing all around a peach of an inswinger to leave England 34/2.

And the decision to bring back Hasaranga for a second over in the Powerplay reaped rewards when Jonny Bairstow came down the track to his first ball and was struck on the pads. Sri Lanka reviewed and three reds sent Bairstow back, leaving England in trouble for the first time in the tournament.

Eoin Morgan struggled to get going through the middle overs but stuck with Buttler as the pair rebuilt towards the death, with the England captain eventually falling to Hasaranga for 40 off 36 balls.

But it was all about Buttler in the back-end of the innings as England’s in-form opener raced through the gears, finishing with 12 boundaries and six maximums in his outstanding 101*.

Buttler becomes the first England men’s international to have hit a century in all three formats – T20I, ODI and Test cricket.

A fourth Super 12 win for the top-ranked T20I side in the world would essentially confirm England as winners of Group 1, barring an unlikely set of results and a huge shift in net run rate.

But if Sri Lanka pull off the chase, then it will put Dasun Shanaka’s side back into contention to qualify for the final four.