Paarl Royals were dealt a major blow on Tuesday 6 August when England white-ball captain Jos Buttler withdrew from the upcoming edition of SA20 due to domestic commitments.
Buttler expressed his regret and gratitude to Royals fans by announcing his decision on social media. The Paarl Royals shared a video on their social media account X, where Buttler announced that he will not be returning to SA20 in 2025 as he wants to focus on England responsibilities.
Jos Buttler withdraws from South Africa 2025 squad to play for England
SA20 2025 is scheduled to take place from 9 January to 8 February, overlapping with England’s tour of India, which includes five T20Is and three ODIs from 22 January to 12 February.
Buttler has decided to withdraw from SA20-25 to devote his attention and energy to national duty after the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) backed him as white-ball captain following the team’s recent dismal performance.
With Buttler expected to remain as England’s white-ball captain until the 2025 Champions Trophy, the talented batsman and wicketkeeper wants to focus on his international commitments – and he has a big tour during the time SA20 2025 is taking place – so he had to make that difficult decision.
In the Paarl Royals video on X, Jos Buttler said: “This is a message to the Paarl Royals fans. I am disappointed that I cannot return to SA20 this year. There are a few England games and my focus will be there. It is a shame that I cannot return to the tournament.
I have a lot of love for the tournament. I have a lot of love for the Paarl Royals and especially for their fans. I wish them all the best in the competition and I hope to be back in the future.”
Look here:
Thanks for everything, Jos the Boss. We’ll miss the scoops, we’ll miss you! 💗 pic.twitter.com/OTYR4cfWw2
– Paarl Royals (@paarlroyals) August 6, 2024
Earlier, Jos Buttler had been ruled out of The Hundred 2024 tournament due to a calf injury. Buttler was due to captain Manchester Originals in the 100-ball tournament but after missing their first three matches, the England captain announced that he would not be able to take part in The Hundred 2024 tournament.
Jos Buttler had said: “I am gutted not to be able to take part in The Hundred this year. Best of luck to the Manchester Originals for the rest of the campaign. I will work hard to be 100% fit as soon as possible.”
Jos Buttler was last seen in action at the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup in the United States and West Indies. Buttler is expected to return to action next month when the England team takes on Australia in a three-match T20I series and a five-match ODI series against Australia between September 11 and 29.
Recently, Matthew Mott has stepped down as the white-ball head coach and assistant coach Marcus Trescothick has taken over the role temporarily for the upcoming limited-overs series against arch-rivals Australia. ECB is now on the hunt for a new white-ball head coach.