Blow for England: Jos Buttler ruled out of Australia T20Is, KKR star named new captain

On Thursday, September 5, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced that the captain and star batsman, Jos Buttler, has been ruled out of the upcoming T20I series against the Australia National Cricket Team.

Jos Buttler is set to miss the series against Australia due to a calf injury and he is also doubtful for the ODI series against the Aussies.

Star opener Phil Salt has been handed the responsibility to lead the side in the absence of Buttler and all-rounder Jamie Overton has been called up as a replacement for Buttler in the T20I squad.

In the ODI side of things, if Jos Buttler gets ruled out, Harry Brook will reportedly lead the team and Jordan Cox has been included in the ODI squad as cover for the skipper.

Updated England T20I squad: Phil Salt (c), Jofra Archer, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Josh Hull, Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Dan Mousley, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley, John Turner

Updated England ODI squad: Jos Buttler (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Jamie Smith, Reece Topley, John Turner

Jos Buttler Last Played Cricket In T20 World Cup 2024

The England white-ball skipper Jos Buttler was last seen in action in the semi-final of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 against India National Cricket Team on June 27. In that match, he had scored 23 runs and since then he has been out of action.

In July, Jos Buttler picked up the injury as he was preparing for the Hundred 2024 and was forced to miss the entire competition. The calf injury is nothing new to him because it was his third such injury in the past four years.

It was reported that the star batter is planning his comeback through Vitality Blast, playing for Lancashire in the quarter-final against Sussex, but those plans were also abolished.

Also, Buttler's aggravated injury could keep him out of the rest of the summer, but the team management is hopeful of seeing him back in the Australia ODIs.

Meanwhile, the 33-year-old came under tremendous pressure after England's poor performances in ODI World Cup 2023 and T20 World Cup 2024. There were rumours of him being sacked as well, but he escaped axing, unlike white-ball head coach Matthew Mott, who had to step down.

Recently, Brendon McCullum was appointed as the new white-ball head coach, meaning he will be in charge of the team across all formats, having taken over the red-ball head coach role earlier. McCullum will start his tenure in January, and till then, Marcus Trescothick will serve as the head coach of the white-ball teams on an interim basis.

Meanwhile, the T20I matches between England and Australia will be played on September 11, 13, and 15 at Utilita Bowl, Sophia Gardens, and Emirates Old Trafford. While the ODI matches will be played on September 19, 21, 24, 27, and 29 at Trent Bridge, Headingley, Seat Unique Riverside, Lord's, and Seat Unique Stadium.