Phil Salt to captain England in Australia T20Is with injured Jos Buttler out

September 5, 2024
4:33 pm

Buttler, England’s limited-overs captain, sustained the in July while preparing for the men’s Hundred, which ruled him out of the tournament. He had subsequently targeted Lancashire’s Vitality Blast quarter-final against Sussex on Wednesday night for a comeback ahead of the white ball series, which begins at the Utilita Bowl on September 11.

But having aggravated the injury, he could now miss the rest of the summer, having not played any cricket since England’s T20 World Cup semi-final defeat to India on June 27. Salt, whose only captaincy experience came while deputising for Buttler as Manchester Originals captain during the Hundred, will take the reins initially, and is also set to keep wicket.

Harry Brook, who has been Ollie Pope’s vice-captain during England’s Test series against Sri Lanka, is primed to lead the 50-over leg of Australia’s tour, with the first of five ODIs starting at Trent Bridge on September 19.

Surrey allrounder Jamie Overton has been called up as a replacement in the T20I squad, though if selected will likely play as a specialist batter as he continues his recovery from a back stress fracture. Jordan Cox, who is currently with the Test squad, has been added to the ODI squad as cover.

While England hope Buttler can play some part in the ODI series, this setback comes at an inopportune time as the squad transitions towards a younger core after the disappointments of the 2023 ODI and 2024 T20 World Cups.

On Tuesday, Brendon McCullum was announced as the successor to Matthew Mott, unifying the Test and limited-overs coaching roles, and tasked with rejuvenating the set-up. Though Marcus Trescothick will take charge in the interim before handing over to McCullum at the start of 2025, the Australia series should have been an opportunity for Buttler to set his stall out after an indifferent couple of years.

It is also worth noting this is Buttler’s third calf injury in the past four years. He turns 34 on Sunday and his future as captain, and longevity as an international cricketer, may rely upon giving up wicketkeeping duties to better preserve his body.