The England National Cricket Team suffered a big blow before the start of the upcoming four-match T20I series against the Pakistan National Cricket Team at home. England white-ball captain Jos Buttler is likely to miss part of the team’s last bilateral series before the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024.
Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone, Will Jacks, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, Sam Curran, and Jonny Bairstow cut their stints in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 short to return to England. These cricketers decided to leave before the final stages of the tournament to fulfill commitments with the national team.
Jos Buttler To Miss Some Part of T20I Series vs Pakistan
According to inews.co.uk, Jos Buttler is expected to leave at any time as he and his wife, Louise, are expecting their third child in the next few days. Buttler has struggled with form in the IPL 2024 season, scoring 359 runs in 11 matches with an average of 39.89 and a strike rate of 140.78, including two centuries.
Meanwhile, England’s white-ball head coach, Matthew Mott, has not yet joined the England T20 squad due to a family issue. Assistant coach Richard Dawson led the practice session in Leeds on Monday in Mott’s absence. It’s expected that the head coach will rejoin the England national cricket team by Tuesday.
The first T20I of the four-match series between the England team and the Pakistan team is scheduled to be played at Headingley in Leeds on Wednesday, May 22. However, the first match faces the threat of being washed out due to the weather forecast for Wednesday evening in Yorkshire indicating heavy rain.
The England team is yet to play a T20 international in 2024. However, England’s players have been actively involved in competitive cricket, particularly the IPL 2024. Will Jacks, Phil Salt, Sam Curran, and Jonny Bairstow all performed exceptionally well in the ongoing Indian Premier League 2024 season.
Jofra Archer Is Such An Exciting Player – Sam Curran
Sam Curran expressed his excitement about Jofra Archer’s return to the England squad. Curran emphasized the anticipation among both fans and players for Archer’s comeback and hoped for his success in representing England again.
“It’s huge. He is such an exciting player. He is great to have around. He has obviously had a tough couple of years with his body and we all hope that is behind him now and he can get back into an England shirt and start firing,” Sam Curran said.
“I’m sure England fans and players are extremely buzzed to have him back. He’s an addition no side can turn down. He’s obviously got that extra pace and fear factor he can bring to opposition too,” he added.
England Squad: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonathan Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, Mark Wood.
Pakistan Squad: Babar Azam (c), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Usman Khan
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