England’s captain Jos Buttler could miss few matches during the four-T20I series against Pakistan which will begin on May 22 in Leeds, reported inews.co.uk on Tuesday.
Buttler, who led England to the T20 World Cup trophy in 2022 by beating Pakistan in the final, could be called on family duty as his wife, Louise, is expecting their third child together.
Buttler was representing Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 but he was called back by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to participate in the series against Pakistan.
Not just that, England’s head coach Matthew Mott is also away from the team due to family duties and assistant coach Richard Dawson is leading the practice sessions before the first T20I.
The T20I series would be of significant importance for both teams as just two days after its conclusion, the World Cup will begin in the United States.
Pakistan are in Group A of the World Cup alongside arch-rivals India, Ireland, Canada and the USA. Meanwhile, England are slotted in Group B with Australia, Namibia, Scotland and Oman.
Squads
England: 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: 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
Pakistan's schedule of upcoming matches
Tour of England
May 22: First T20I at Leeds
May 25: Second T20I at Birmingham
May 28: Third T20I at Cardiff
May 30: Fourth T20I at The Oval
T20 World Cup 2024
June 6: Pakistan vs USA, Dallas
June 9: Pakistan vs India, New York
June 11: Pakistan vs Canada, New York
June 16: Pakistan vs Ireland, Lauderhill
- Jos Buttler