New Delhi: England white-ball skipper Jos Buttler’s return has been delayed as he is ruled out of upcoming the three-match ODI series against West Indies due to his long-standing calf injury. All-rounder Liam Livingstone has been appointed as the stand-in skipper for the series and it will be his first captaincy stint. Buttler was set to make his comeback as he was named in the squad by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) earlier this month.
It has notably been close to four months that he represented the England cricket team, having not played a single match since the Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 semifinal against India in June earlier this year. The 34-year-old wicketkeeper batter will continue to recover from the calf injury that he sustained earlier this year and the latest update on his recovery says he is still to attain full fitness.
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Revamped squad of England
Some extended window of time is required to complete Buttler’s rehab process. It is noteworthy that England haven’t named his replacement yet and now that he is unavailable for the ODIs, the 14-member England squad is now 13 for the series. The ECB’s press release which informed of the development, also said that two players from the ongoing Test series in Pakistan will also join the team in the Caribbean.
Meanwhile, Buttler will be expected to join the squad late in the Caribbean for the T20I series that follows. The three-ODI series starts on October 31 in Antigua while the five-match T20I series kicks off from November 9 in Barbados.
England squad for West Indies ODIs and T20Is:
Jos Buttler (T20Is only), Jofra Archer, Jacob Bethell, Jafer Chohan, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Dan Mousley, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, John Turner.
