England white-ball coach Matthew Mott informed that they will not take any risks with Jos Buttler in the fifth T20I of the ongoing Pakistan tour. The regular skipper continues his recovery from a calf injury sustained during the Hundred.
England are rightly hesitant to take unnecessary risks with regard to Buttler’s return to cricket action so close to the T20 World Cup. The player was never going to play in the Karachi leg of the tour, comprising the first four T20Is, but was expected to join the action for the Lahore leg. With the series leveled at 2-2, he will not be considered for selection in the fifth game at Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday.
“With regards to Jos, he’s still a while off. He’s not a player we want to take a risk on at this stage, so close to a World Cup, and it was a reasonably significant injury that he had,”
Mott said on Sunday night.
“He’s champing at the bit for a game but we’ll just try and see how we go: maybe in the last game or two, he might be a chance,”
he added.
Buttler has played an active role in training and decision-making off the field on the tour, while Moeen Ali has led the side on the field. He had addressed the media upon arrival in Pakistan and said it was important that he traveled with the team whether he will play the games or not.
Apart from Buttler, England are also being careful with the return of Liam Livingstone, who had also suffered an injury in the latter stages of the Hundred. Mark Wood made his return in the third T20I after a six-month absence from cricket and looked in great shape.
Including three T20Is on this tour, England have seven more matches in hand to prepare for the T20 World Cup Down Under. They will play three T20Is in Australia versus the hosts before facing Pakistan again in the only official warm-up game.
