Jos Buttler has been ruled out of Lancashire’s T20 Blast quarter-final due to a setback in his recovery from a calf injury. His availability for England’s upcoming T20I series against Australia is now in question.
Despite the setback, England remains optimistic about Buttler’s fitness for the T20I series, which begins on September 11. The team is hopeful he will be fit to captain throughout Australia’s eight-match white-ball tour. England’s squad will report to the Utilita Bowl on Sunday for two training days, during which medical staff will assess Buttler’s condition.
With no official vice-captain named for England’s white-ball teams, Sam Curran and Phil Salt are the primary candidates to step in if Buttler remains unavailable. Although Buttler is not expected to keep wicket during the T20I series, this could increase his chances of participating despite the injury.
Buttler has not played since England’s semi-final loss to India at the T20 World Cup in June. He sustained the calf injury in July while preparing for the Hundred, which forced him to miss the tournament. He had aimed to return in Wednesday’s quarter-final at Hove but has now been confirmed as absent, as per Lancashire coach Dale Benkenstein. “We’ve had some bad news on his recovery,” Benkenstein told BBC Radio Lancashire. “He had an injury he was recovering from, and he’s sort of tweaked it again. He’s not only just out of our T20s, but I think he’s even struggling to make the international ones. He was very keen to play for us.”
Lancashire will still have their other England players available for the match at Hove, including Phil Salt, Liam Livingstone, and Saqib Mahmood. Jofra Archer is expected to play for Sussex, captained by Tymal Mills. The T20 quarter-final at Hove has been sold out for two weeks, marking the first time since 2019 that the venue has hosted a T20 quarter-final with a crowd.
