Jos Buttler to miss England’s Pakistan tri-series as Jordan Cox gets chance

Jos Buttler will miss England’s 50-over tri-series in Pakistan next month because of a hamstring injury sustained against Sri Lanka, BBC Sport reported on 28 September. England coach Brendon McCullum said Jordan Cox will take the wicketkeeper’s place for the tournament against Pakistan and Sri Lanka, which begins on 20 October. The decision extends Buttler’s absence beyond the final match of the Sri Lanka one-day international series and gives Cox another chance in England’s ODI side.

McCullum said it was “hard to judge” how long Buttler would be out. “We know Jos is an incredible athlete, we know he is supremely fit and is an ultra-professional,” he told BBC Sport. “He will do everything he can to be back as soon as possible.” The reporting establishes his absence from the tri-series, but gives no date for his return.

How the injury happened

Buttler was injured while batting in England’s second ODI against Sri Lanka at Headingley. According to the International Cricket Council, he felt discomfort in his left hamstring as he ran in the 38th over, then left the field. He later returned to the crease. BBC Sport reported that he had been 67 not out before the injury and was eventually dismissed for 69 from 49 balls. The sequence left England without an uninjured Buttler for the closing stages of a chase that Sri Lanka won by 16 runs.

The result levelled the three-match ODI series at 1-1, Sky Sports reported. England then ruled Buttler out of the third match at The Oval. An England and Wales Cricket Board spokesperson told Sky Sports on 25 September that he would undergo further assessment. Surrey batter Dan Lawrence was called into the squad for that match. Lawrence’s call-up addressed the immediate Sri Lanka fixture; McCullum’s later comments identified Cox for the separate Pakistan tri-series.

Cox’s opportunity

Cox entered the Sri Lanka decider with limited ODI experience. The ICC said he had played three ODIs, while his recent three-Test series against Pakistan had produced 202 runs at an average of 50.50. Those figures explain why his prospective role in Pakistan is a further opportunity rather than an established run as England’s ODI wicketkeeper. BBC Sport reported that he also made 76 against Sri Lanka while deputising for Buttler in the third ODI at The Oval on Sunday.

Before that decider, Cox told the ICC he would welcome a chance to play. “If I do get the opportunity that will be awesome,” he said. He described Buttler as “probably the best ever white-ball cricketer we’ve produced” and said a replacement should look forward to the challenge. His comments came before the match; McCullum’s subsequent statement concerned the upcoming tri-series.

McCullum praised Cox after his innings at The Oval, telling BBC Sport that he thought it was “quite a Jos Buttler innings”. He said Cox had performed well in domestic cricket for years and had been unlucky with injuries. McCullum also said Cox deserved his current position after his summer with England. That endorsement gives a clearer indication of England’s intended replacement for October than the earlier, match-specific Lawrence call-up.

What remains open

England’s full tri-series squad had not been finalised in the BBC report. It said the selectors planned to complete their squads on Monday, but the cited reporting does not establish a subsequent announcement. Cox’s expected place is therefore grounded in McCullum’s confirmation, while other squad choices should await the final list. Buttler’s recovery timetable is also unresolved: McCullum did not give a return date, and the earlier ECB statement said only that further assessment would follow.

The injury comes during an England schedule that, according to BBC Sport, includes white-ball matches in Australia in November after the Pakistan tournament. Whether Buttler can take part in those matches is not established by McCullum’s comments. For now, the concrete change is his absence from the 20 October tri-series and Cox’s chance to fill the vacancy. The injury occurred in the Sri Lanka match covered in NewsJaws’ earlier report on Buttler’s setback and the series being levelled.