Jos Buttler was beaming with pride after becoming England's all-time leading appearance maker across all cricket formats, though he still harbours regrets over his failure to forge out a world-class Test career.  

Buttler played his 146th T20I on Sunday, as England beat Sri Lanka by six wickets to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in their rain-affected, three-match series.

England's former white-ball captain has also represented his country in 57 Tests and 199 ODIs, bringing him to 402 total appearances in international cricket.

That means he has eclipsed the 401 matches played by bowling great James Anderson – the previous record by an England player across the three formats.

Asked about his achievement after Sunday's match in Balagolla, where he hit 39 runs off 29 balls, Buttler said: "It's a bit surreal to be honest.

"I'm really grateful to have played that many games for England. I'm really proud to have played that many games.

"To think of that kid who would have just bitten your hand off for one game for England... to have played 400 is awesome."

Buttler became England's white-ball captain in 2022 following the transformational tenure of Eoin Morgan, captaining the T20I team to World Cup glory later that year. He then quit the role in early 2025 after a poor Champions' Trophy campaign.

Buttler had previously played a key role in the 50-over World Cup triumph in 2019, hitting a boundary on the final ball of England's Super Over, then combining with Jason Roy to run out Martin Guptill and secure a memorable victory at Lord's.

Jos Buttler on...

 Losing his father
 His family's sacrifice
 Becoming our most capped player
 His advice to Harry Brook as captain

A raw and honest @JosButtler reflects on his amazing career with England 

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) February 1, 2026

Despite his glittering success in limited-overs cricket, Buttler still harbours one major regret – that he did not reach similar heights in Tests.

Buttler averaged 31.94 during a red-ball career that spanned from 2014 to 2022, and he thinks his shortcomings in the longest format stopped him from reaching a truly elite level. 

"My dream was to be one of the best players in the world and try and reach my potential. In my opinion, to do that, you have to be brilliant at all the formats," Buttler said.

"I always feel like I fell a bit short of where I wanted to be in Test cricket. 

"I wouldn't say white-ball cricket is easier because it has its own challenges, but I think Test cricket is the truest test of players."

England round out their T20I series against Sri Lanka on Tuesday, before facing Nepal in their opening group-stage match at the T20 World Cup – their first tournament under Harry Brook's leadership – on Sunday.