AUS vs ENG: Harry Brook named England's ODI captain amid Jos Buttler's injury woes

England has been trying out different options for captaincy in limited-overs cricket, all thanks to Jos Buttler's persistent calf injury. Jos Buttler has been out of action since England’s T20 World Cup 2024 semifinal loss to India in Guyana at the end of June.

Due to his recovery from the calf injury, the England captain missed The Hundred 2024 and was also ruled out of the T20I series against Australia.

He is still recovering from the calf injury, and he wasn’t selected for the upcoming five-match ODI series against Australia either.

Jos Buttler’s absence has created an opportunity for Liam Livingstone to make his return to the ODI squad after being previously overlooked.

Earlier, his calf injury awarded the great opportunity to Phil Salt to lead England in the T20I series, which ended in a tie 1-1 against Australia.

Harry Brook steps up as ODI captain for Australia series as Jos Buttler's calf injury persists

Now, with Jos Buttler being out for the rest of the summer with a calf injury sustained in July, the big opportunity landed in the lap of Harry Brook, as the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) elevated the talented batter to captain for the upcoming five-match ODI series against Australia at home.

The 25-year-old batter is set to lead England for the first time in ODI cricket, despite having played only 15 games in the 50-over format of the game.

Brook himself recently admitted that he is still adapting to the challenges of ODI cricket, but the ECB is keen on investing in him.

However, Brook’s leadership potential has been evident for years, having captained England’s Under-19 team during the 2018 World Cup.

He has been regularly gaining leadership experience, including stepping in as Yorkshire’s captain for four matches during the 2022 T20 Blast and leading the Northern Superchargers in the Hundred tournament this year.

Under his captaincy, the Northern Superchargers won five of their six completed matches, narrowly missing out on the knockout stages of The Hundred 2024.

Additionally, Brook has been a key part of England's leadership group in Test cricket, serving as vice-captain to Ollie Pope during the recent 2-1 series win against Sri Lanka.

Harry Brook is a really good thinker: Jos Buttler

England cricket team management is grooming Brook for a long-term leadership role, seeing him as a vital part of their plans.

Meanwhile, the ECB has announced that young fast bowler Josh Hull, who recently made his international debut in the final Test against Sri Lanka, has been withdrawn from the ODI squad due to a quad injury.

Jos Buttler said on appointing Brook as England’s interim ODI captain: “It's going to be a great opportunity for Brooky to be the captain. He is a pretty laid-back character, but I think he has everything in line. He is a really good thinker about it... I'm sure he'll do that his own way, and he'll get a feel for those moments [in games].

That's what we're encouraging everyone as a side—whether that's a player or a captain—to try and identify those moments that you think can go a long way to you winning the game and going for it and committing to it.”

Notably, the five-match ODI series is set to begin on September 19 at Trent Bridge.

Here’s the England squad for Australia ODIs:

Harry Brook (C), Jofra Archer, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone, Matthew Potts, Olly Stone, Reece Topley, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Jamie Smith, and John Turner.