England captain Jos Buttler has been recovering from a calf injury since August. However, he has now declared himself fit for the T20I series against Australia. Liam Livingstone, on the other hand, is doubtful for their World Cup opener later this month due to an ankle injury.
Buttler, who was recovering from a calf injury, watched England beat Pakistan 4-3 before flying to Australia for three 20-overs matches against the world champions. “I’m back to 100 per cent,” Buttler told reporters in Perth on Saturday.
“Had a good time in Pakistan rehabbing, probably could have played earlier, but with the World Cup around the corner, it was the right thing to do,” he added.
With Buttler’s return to the playing XI, Alex Hales and Phil Salt will compete for the position of the second opener. “We have great options at the top of the order with guys in really good form in Pakistan. They’re both excellent options. Whoever I partner with will have a great go at it,” Buttler said.
While England would welcome Buttler’s return, there is still concern about white-ball star Livingstone’s availability for England’s World Cup opener against Afghanistan on Oct. 22. “(He) is still a little way off at the minute so he’s building back. Hopefully, he’ll get back to full fitness before the start of the World Cup,” the skipper said.
Buttler also stated that Test captain and all-rounder Ben Stokes would bat higher in their lineup. “Ben Stokes is someone we want to try to give as much opportunity to impact the game as possible. Try to get him up the order as high as we can, give him as much responsibility as possible and allow him to play his way to get the best out of him,” Buttler concluded.
England squad for the Australia series
Jos Buttler (C), Moeen Ali (VC), Phil Salt, Alex Hales, Dawid Malan, Liam Livingstone, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Sam Curran, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley, Mark Wood
