England is heading to the Australia tour with their regular captain. The wait for Jos Buttler to return to the field is getting longer. It was already known that he wouldn’t be part of the T20 squad. Now, he has been ruled out of the ODI series as well.
On Sunday, England announced their squad for the ODI series against Australia. Jacob Bethell and John Turner have been given the opportunity to play in this format for the first time in the 15-member squad. Harry Brook will lead the team.
Jos Buttler has been away from international cricket since the T20 World Cup. The English captain was expected to return to competitive cricket through The Hundred. However, due to a muscle injury in his leg, he couldn’t participate in that tournament either.
For the same reason, Buttler will miss the T20 series against Australia. As he hasn’t fully recovered, Buttler was not included in the T20 squad. Now, this destructive batter is also missing the ODI series.
With Buttler ruled out, Liam Livingstone has been given a chance in the ODI series against Australia. Although he wasn’t part of the initial squad, his good performance in the T20 series has earned him a place in the ODI team.
Harry Brook will captain the England team for the first time. However, this isn’t his first experience as a captain. He led England in the 2018 U-19 World Cup. Additionally, Brook is the captain of Northern Superchargers in The Hundred. A few days ago, Brook was also the vice-captain under Ollie Pope in the three-match Test series against Sri Lanka.
Alongside Buttler, pacer Josh Tongue will also miss the ODI series. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) doesn’t want to take any risks with him, keeping in mind the upcoming Pakistan tour. Moreover, with Moeen Ali retiring, his spot has opened up. Jacob Bethell and John Turner have been called up to the squad for the first time to fill these vacancies.
England’s 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, Ollie Stone, Reece Topley, John Turner.
