England’s white-ball cricket skipper, Jos Buttler, has been forced to withdraw from the upcoming one-day internationals (ODIs) against the West Indies after suffering another injury blow, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed on Monday.
Buttler, who was set to return after a prolonged absence due to a calf issue, will now sit out the three-match ODI series scheduled to begin on October 31 in Antigua. The ECB cited a “reoccurrence of his calf injury” as the reason behind the setback.
Despite this, Buttler is still expected to rejoin the team in time for the T20 series, set to start on November 9 in Barbados. In the interim, uncapped Essex player Michael Pepper has been drafted in as his ODI replacement.
In another move, dynamic all-rounder Liam Livingstone will step into the captaincy role for the ODIs, marking his first opportunity to lead the national team.
Buttler has been recovering since missing England’s recent series against Australia, where the team experienced mixed results, including a loss in the ODI leg. His latest setback comes just months after England’s exit from the T20 World Cup, a tournament where Buttler was expected to play a central role in the team’s title defense.
Widely regarded as one of the most dangerous white-ball cricketers in the game, Buttler’s absence will be a significant loss for the team, as he has been an instrumental part of England’s recent success in limited-overs cricket, including their 2019 World Cup triumph.
