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Jos Buttler's return as England's white-ball captain has been delayed by at least three more matches, as he has been ruled out of next week's ODI series in the Caribbean due to a persistent calf injury.
According to ESPNcricinfo, Buttler, 34, has been struggling with this injury for four months and has not played a competitive match since England's semi-final defeat to India in the T20 World Cup in Guyana in June. He missed the entire Manchester Originals' Hundred campaign and subsequently withdrew from the T20I and ODI series against Australia in September. According to the ECB, he has suffered a slight setback in his rehabilitation and will now travel directly to Barbados ahead of the five-match T20I series starting on November 9. In Buttler's absence, Liam Livingstone has been appointed as England's ODI captain, marking his first opportunity in this role. Harry Brook, who captained the ODIs against Australia in Buttler's absence, is currently in Rawalpindi preparing for the third Test against Pakistan. England will decide on a replacement player soon. They had planned to add two extra players to the tour, contingent on the selection for the third Test in Rawalpindi. Likely candidates include Jordan Cox, who made his white-ball debut against Australia, and legspinner Rehan Ahmed, as per ESPNcricinfo. Buttler's prolonged absence raises questions about his international future, despite assurances from Brendon McCullum, England's incoming white-ball coach. McCullum emphasized that Buttler remains central to his plans, stating that, "He's been a little bit miserable at times," as per quoted by ESPNcricinfo. "He's an incredibly gifted player," McCullum added at his unveiling. "He's a fine leader. My job is to get the best out of him so that all those that sit in the dressing-room feel like they can be ten-feet tall and bulletproof when they walk out to play, and they know that the skipper is going to give them that extra pat on the back and and enjoy the ride with them," he added. Buttler was a non-playing presence during the Australia series, with Marcus Trescothick, England's interim white-ball coach who will be leading the Caribbean tour, insisting, "There's no reason why Jos won't fit back into that mould, score millions of runs, captain well and fit back into the team perfectly." "Let's make it clear," Trescothick said, as per quoted by ESPNcricinfo. "He will come straight back in. At what position, I don't know. We'll look at that for the Caribbean," he concluded. (ANI)
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