Jos Buttler To Miss The Remaining White-Ball Fixtures Of The Home Summer; Ben Stokes Likely To Return Against Pakistan

England white-ball vice-captain Jos Buttler will miss the rest of the limited-overs leg of the home summer. Jos Buttler has been forced out of the rest of the England fixtures after suffering a calf strain, keeping him out of the final two T20Is against Sri Lanka in Cardiff. The calf strain will keep the swashbuckling keeper-batsman out of the next home assignment against Pakistan as well.

Jos Buttler sustained a calf tear during his unbeaten and pristine knock of 68 against Sri Lanka in the first T20I against Sri Lanka. The Lancashire cricketer’s 55-ball knock contained eight fours and a six, helping England chase down a target of 130 with ease. But the England Cricket Board wants Buttler to have ample rest before the five-match Test series against India in August.

England skipper Eoin Morgan revealed that Jos Buttler will stay out currently as injured calves are difficult to recover from; hence, they will keep monitoring his status. The Irishman asserted that with England having crucial assignments in the next few months, they want to keep Buttler fit.

“Jos is out currently. Calves are sometimes difficult to come back with so we’ll be constantly monitoring that. Certainly, at the moment, it’s not a priority Jos is 100% fit for the white-ball stuff. Given the cricket he has coming up with Tests, a T20 World Cup and a possible Ashes down the line, I think there are other priorities he needs to be fit for,” Morgan said in a press conference.

England all-rounder to return for the limited-overs series against Pakistan:

Meanwhile, England are likely to receive a major boost in the form of Ben Stokes, who could return for the three ODIs and as many T20Is against Pakistan. The seam-bowling all-rounder is currently plying his trade for Durham in the T20 blast, where he has a strike rate of 132 and has five wickets from four matches.

Stokes suffered a finger injury during his stint with the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2021 and underwent a surgery. But he will likely return to the fold as he prepares to deliver some significant performances in the coming months to lead England to glory.

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