England’s white-ball captain Jos Buttler has been ruled out of The Hundred due to a calf strain. Buttler, who was on a break after England’s semi-final exit from the T20 World Cup last month is said to have picked up the injury while preparing for The Hundred.
Buttler was a part of the Manchester Originals and was expected to be fit for the last few games after the initial scans which were not conclusive. His withdrawal, however, has been confirmed on Saturday, as he will now undergo a period of rehabilitation
Earlier this week, Rob Key – ECB’s managing director said that Buttler would continue to be captain following Matthew Mott’s resignation as England’s white-ball coach. Marcus Trescothick will take over as the head coach in the September series against Australia. At this point, it seems likely that Buttler will be fit enough to play on September 11 for the first T20I.
Buttler in the recent past has suffered from several issues with his calf. At one point it even threatened his participation in the T20 World Cup 2022, after missing out on the 7 T20Is against Pakistan at home.
“Gutted to be missing the Hundred this year,” Buttler wrote on his Instagram story. “Best of luck to the Manchester Originals for the rest of the campaign. Working hard to be 100% fit asap [as soon as possible].”
The coach of the Originals, Simon Katich, had originally planned to replace Buttler with Keaton Jennings, the captain of Lancashire, but negotiations broke down due to uncertainty about Buttler’s status, and Jennings has since joined London Spirit. The Originals are yet to confirm a new replacement ahead of Sunday’s match against Northern Superchargers.
