England recently clashed with Sri Lanka in the three-match T20I series, which the hosts eventually won by 3-0.
England vice-captain Jos Buttler bore the onus of guiding his side to a comfortable win by eight wickets in the first T20I. In the process, Buttler smashed an unbeaten 55-ball 68 laced with eight boundaries and a towering six.
The wicket-keeper batsman was also awarded the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his spectacular performance. However, after the encounter, a calf injury was detected, and the 30-year-old is expected to be ruled out of the ODI and T20I series against Pakistan.
Buttler also missed the remaining two T20Is of the Sri Lanka series. England skipper Eoin Morgan admitted that they need to manage Buttler and keep him fit for the five-match Test series against India, the T20 World Cup 2021 and the Ashes 2021.
“Jos is out currently. Calves are sometimes difficult to come back with so we’ll be constantly monitoring that. Certainly, at the moment, it’s not a priority Jos is 100% fit for the white-ball stuff. Given the cricket he has coming up with Tests, a T20 World Cup and a possible Ashes down the line, I think there are other priorities he needs to be fit for,” Morgan was quoted as saying by Guardian.
Previously, England all-rounder Ben Stokes had also missed the T20I series against Sri Lanka due to a finger injury he had sustained during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. But with his recent exploits for Durham during the T20 Blast 2021, Stokes is expected to make a comeback in the three-match T20I series against Pakistan starting from July 16.
Meanwhile, after whitewashing Sri Lanka in the T20I series, England would battle it out against the hosts during a three-game ODI series starting from Tuesday (June 29) at Durham.
