Jos Buttler will miss England’s T20I series against Australia and possibly the five-match ODI series, too, following a setback in his rehabilitation process from a right calf injury, which means Phil Salt now replaces him as captain in T20Is.
Jos Buttler Ruled Out Due To Injury
Buttler, skipper of England’s limited-overs team, sustained the injury in July ahead of the men’s Hundred and was therefore forced to withdraw from that competition. He had been hoping to make his comeback in Lancashire’s Vitality Blast quarter-final against Sussex on Wednesday, with a view to then being fit for the white-ball series starting at the Utilita Bowl on September 11.
With that injury aggravated, however, Buttler may now miss the rest of the summer. He has not played since England’s T20 World Cup semi-final defeat to India on June 27. Salt, who has previously taken the role of deputy captain for Manchester Originals in the Hundred in Buttler’s absence, takes over the captaincy reins and will also keep wicket.
Harry Brook To Lead England In ODI Series Against Australia
Brook has been Ollie Pope’s vice captain in England’s Test series against Sri Lanka, but will now take charge of the 50-over segment of Australia’s tour, which begins with the first of five ODIs at Trent Bridge on September 19.
According ESPNcricinfo, Surrey all-rounder Jamie Overton has been added to the T20I squad as a replacement, although is likely to play mainly as a specialist batter as he continues to work his way back from a back stress fracture. Jordan Cox, currently in the Test squad will remain with the Test group as cover. It is a pretty tricky juncture to get this injury setback when he was expected to contribute in the ODI series, amidst this England team’s transition into a younger lot following disastrous campaigns in the 2023 ODI World Cup and the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Brendon McCullum Becomes The New White Ball Head Coach
Brendon McCullum took over on Tuesday as the new head coach, replacing Matthew Mott and bringing the two roles together across Test and limited-overs cricket. McCullum will join early in 2025, with Marcus Trescothick standing in for this interim period. The Australia series was considered a vital one for Buttler to reaffirm himself after a few lean years.
It’s also worth noting this is Buttler’s third calf injury in four years. Turning 34 on Sunday, how long he stays on as captain and how much longer his international career lasts may have a lot to do with whether he quits the gloves to look after his body better.
