Jos Buttler injury – Harry Brook to captain England for Australia ODIs with Jos Buttler ruled out
Brook has been groomed as a future England captain for many years, having captained at the Under-19 World Cup in 2018. He deputised as Yorkshire captain for four matches in the T20 Blast in 2022 and led Northern Superchargers in the Hundred this year, winning five out of the six completed matches he oversaw as they narrowly missed out on the knockout stages.
But Buttler’s prolonged absence is cause for concern, given his recent history of calf issues. He missed most of a series against Sri Lanka in 2021 due to a tear, and was ruled out of England’s seven-match T20I tour to Pakistan the following year with a strain which briefly threatened his participation in the 2022 World Cup.
He has not played any cricket since England’s elimination from June’s T20 World Cup, when they were beaten by India in the semi-finals: he initially targeted a return in the T20 Blast quarter-finals, but suffered a setback in his rehabilitation while running. Buttler has been with England’s squad throughout this week’s T20I series against Australia and will target a return on November’s Caribbean tour.
England have also confirmed that Josh Hull will play no part in the ODI series, after sustaining a minor quad injury on Test debut at The Oval last week. A team spokesperson suggested that his absence is only precautionary, and that his participation in October’s three-match Test tour to Pakistan is not under threat.
The five-match ODI series starts at Trent Bridge on Thursday and runs until September 29.
England ODI squad: Harry Brook (captain), Jofra Archer, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Reece Topley, John Turner.