PAK vs ENG: Jos Buttler Not To Be Considered For The Fifth T20I In Lahore

England have decided not to risk captain Jos Buttler by playing him in the upcoming fifth T20I against Pakistan as the seven-match series shifted to the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The series stands at 2-2 with the first four matches played in National Stadium in Karachi.

Buttler was never in contention to play in the first four T20Is in Karachi and, even with the series level at 2-2, he will not be considered for selection in the fifth game on Wednesday, the first of three at the Gaddafi Stadium.

England arrived in Pakistan for a bilateral series for the first time since 2005 for seven T20Is and will return in December for three Tests as well. However, captain Buttler, who had sustained a calf injury during the Hundred tournament, had said that he felt it was important to travel “whether fit to play the games or not”.

He has played an active role in training on the tour and acted as the 12th man during Pakistan’s three-run victory on Sunday night.

With Regards To Jos Buttler, He’s Still A While Off. Maybe In The Last Game Or Two, He Might Be A Chance: Matthew Mott

The series is squared as both the teams traveled to Lahore on Monday afternoon and England coach Matthew Mott talked to the media on Sunday night and gave an update on Jos Buttler’s situation.

“With regards to Jos, he’s still a while off. He’s not a player we want to take a risk on at this stage, so close to a World Cup, and it was a reasonably significant injury that he had. He’s champing at the bit for a game but we’ll just try and see how we go: maybe in the last game or two, he might be a chance,” Mott was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.

This series has been an exciting one with matches in Karachi being both high-scoring ones and low-scoring thrillers. The fifth T20I will be played on September 28 and the remaining matches on Sept 30 and October 2^nd.

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