Jos Buttler and England punched on the backfoot before Australia arrives; England looking for a new captain

England's limited overs captain Jos Buttler is in serious doubt about missing the upcoming T20I series against Australia which is set to begin on September 11. A three-match T20I series will be played between England and Australia with the first match to be played at Ageas Bowl, Southampton.

The next two games will be played at Cardiff and Manchester on September 13 and 15 respectively. Buttler's absence will be a huge setback for England who have recently struggled in the white-ball formats, especially in ICC tournaments.

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Jos Buttler doubtful for T20I series against Australia

Buttler missed the ongoing season of The Hundred 2024 due to a calf injury where he was due to lead Manchester Originals. It is believed that he is still recovering from the injury and is set to miss the upcoming T20I series against Australia.

The 33-year-old wicketkeeper-batter is already under immense pressure after England's unsatisfactory campaign in the T20 World Cup 2024, where they lost to eventual champions India in the semi-finals and failed to defend their title.

As a result, there have been question marks on Jos Buttler's captaincy as well. England was also below par in last year's ODI World Cup where they failed to reach the semi-finals and even lost a match to Afghanistan, which puts even more pressure on Buttler.

Recently, Matthew Mott resigned as England's white-ball head coach after the team's disappointing performances in the last two ICC tournaments. Earlier, it was speculated that Buttler could follow the same path regarding his white-ball captaincy as well.

Jos Buttler to continue as England's white-ball captain

But England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) managing director Rob Key confirmed that Buttler would continue as England's captain for the ODIs and T20Is despite the team's poor outing in the last two ICC tournaments.

Jos Buttler is probably England's most important player in white-ball formats. The talented wicketkeeper-batter has played instrumental roles in England's title wins in the ODI World Cup 2019 and the T20 World Cup 2022. The England captain has an excellent record in both ODI and T20I formats.

In ODIs, he has scored 5022 runs in 181 matches at an average of 39.54 and a brilliant strike rate of 117.11. In T20Is, he has scored 3264 runs in 124 matches at an average of 35.86 and a strike rate of 146.30. He is also regarded as England's best white-ball player ever by many experts.

His abilities as a capable middle-order batter and as a finisher are second to none. The 33-year-old is a crucial part of England's plans for the Champions Trophy 2025, set to be played in February-March next year.

After the T20I series, England and Australia will face each other in a five-match ODI series. The first T20I will be played on September 19 at Nottingham. The next four ODIs will be played at Leeds, Chester-le-Street, Lord's, and Bristol on September 21, 24, 27, and 29 respectively.