England captain Jos Buttler will miss the third T20I of the four-match series against Pakistan. The match between the teams, which will also be virtually decisive, will be played on Tuesday (May 28) in Cardiff.
Jos Buttler left the team after England’s victory over Pakistan in the second T20I in Birmingham and went home. The England captain and his wife Louise are expecting a baby and therefore the wicketkeeper-batsman will miss the second match as he wants to be with his family.
Jos Buttler played a crucial innings for England in the second T20I. He hit and led the team incredibly. After a rollercoaster ride in IPL, the wicketkeeper-batsman made sure to make an immediate impact in international cricket and helped his team win the game and go 1-0 up in the series against Pakistan.
Jos Buttler, who opened the innings in the second game, played a magnificent hand and helped his team put a big total on the board. The keeper-batsman scored an astonishing half-century and finished with an innings of 84 runs off 51 balls and batted at a strike rate of over 144, hitting 8 fours and 3 sixes.
Jos Buttler missing the third game for England will be a big blow for the team. Not only will they miss a player of his quality, but they will also miss his services as a team leader. In his absence, Mooen Ali will captain the team as he is the vice-captain of the team.
Speaking about taking on the captaincy role, he stated: “Obviously if it happens then it will be a great honour, as it always is. I’ll be fine. Nothing will change too much – he’ll just take control of what he’s doing and then when he comes back he’ll take control.”
“Hopefully the baby is born at the right time so he doesn’t miss too many games. For me, whatever happens, happens.” [Deputising] It’s not difficult, to be honest with you, because we talk often, Jos and I. We talked about other things, the team and all that. “We’re on the same page anyway.”
Ben Duckett likely to replace Jos Buttler in XI
According to reports from ESPNCricinfo, it is known that Ben Duckett will replace Jos Buttler in the XI. He is expected to bat at number 3. He recently admitted that he was new to batting at that time. While talking about the challenges of it, he detailed:
“It’s no lie that I’m new to batting at number 3. The biggest thing I’ve found is simply the uncertainty of not knowing when I’m going to come in: obviously, if I open, it’s 0 for 0 every time. , playing the bowling first or second, I know exactly what’s going to happen: I’m facing the swinging ball or, if it’s a spinner, I know what the pitch is going to be.”
Reports also claimed that England could also give Tom Hartley a debut. They want to give him a debut before the 2024 T20 World Cup.