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England white-ball skipper Jos Buttler's return might take a bit longer as he is not fit enough to partake in Lancashire's upcoming T20 Blast quarter-final fixture against Sussex on Wednesday, September 4. The wicketkeeper-batter's last appearance came during the 2024 T20 World Cup semi-final defeat to India in Guyana.
He has been nursing a calf injury since then, which ruled him out for the entirety of The Hundred 2024 campaign for the Manchester Originals. He was named in both white-ball squads to face Australia at home in September, with the recovery timeline suggesting that he would be fit by then.
However, Lancashire head coach Dale Benkenstein confirmed to BBC Radio Lancashire that Buttler will not be partaking in the quarter-final clash. The contest would have been the ideal avenue for the wicketkeeper-batter to return and find rhythm after a prolonged layoff.
"We've had some bad news on his recovery. He had an injury he was recovering from, and he's sort of tweaked it again. He's not only just out of our T20s, but I think he's even struggling to make the international ones. He was very keen to play for us," he said.
According to a report by ESPNCricinfo, England are not concerned over Buttler's injury status. The team is expected to convene on Sunday, September 8, by the time which a clear picture of the apparent injury tweak will be assessed and confirmed.
Buttler is not expected to keep wickets during the series, so that aspect of his workload might be negated during the final assessment before declaring him fir or not. The white-ball series between the two rival sides is scheduled to begin from September 11 onwards.
There is a lack of clarity as to who will lead England in Buttler's absence
England do not have an official vice-captain within the white-ball squad at present. In the event that Buttler fails to recover in time, either one of Sam Curran or Phil Salt is expected to lead the new-look squad, which includes newcomers like Jacob Bethell, Jordan Cox, and Dan Mousley among others.
Phil Salt recently led the Manchester Originals in Buttler's absence during The Hundred 2024. However, the franchise finished seventh in the points table.
Sam Curran also has captaincy experience after stepping in for the injured Shikhar Dhawan for the majority of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign for the Punjab Kings (PBKS).
