England’s white-ball captain, Jos Buttler, has been sidelined from the upcoming one-day international (ODI) series against the West Indies due to a fresh injury setback, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed on Monday. Buttler was initially set to return from a lengthy injury absence to lead the team in three ODIs, starting October 31 in Antigua.
However, the ECB announced that Buttler would miss the ODI leg of the tour due to “a slight setback in his rehabilitation” from a calf injury. Despite this, the star wicketkeeper-batsman is expected to rejoin the squad in Barbados ahead of the five-match T20 series, which kicks off on November 9.
In his place, Essex’s uncapped Michael Pepper has been called up to the ODI squad. Meanwhile, all-rounder Liam Livingstone will take over as captain for the ODI series, marking his first time leading the national team.
Buttler had already missed England’s recent T20 and ODI series against Australia, where England drew the T20 series 1-1 but lost the ODI series 3-2. Known for his explosive batting, Buttler, a key member of England’s 2019 World Cup-winning team, hasn’t played since the T20 World Cup in June, where England failed to retain their title.
