Jos Buttler has given England a significant boost ahead of the white-ball series against the West Indies after confirming that he will leave the Indian Premier League (IPL) early to be available for international action.
Buttler, replaced as captain by Harry Brook after a disastrous Champions Trophy, was named in both the one-day international and Twenty20 international squads to take on the touring side in three matches in each format from 29 May.
His availability had come into question, however, with the IPL rescheduled after the temporary suspension of the season due to the tensions between India and Pakistan.
The flagship franchise competition will now end with the final on Tuesday 3 June, with the play-offs set to get under way on the same day that England play the first ODI against the West Indies at Edgbaston.
Buttler’s Gujarat Titans currently top the table and look set to make the knockout phase, but the wicketkeeper-batter will miss any potential title tilt after prioritising England duty. He will be replaced by Sri Lanka’s Kusal Mendis.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) had committed to making their contracted players available for the duration of the competition, but the their original no-objection certificates for participation were issued only until 25 May.
It is thought that the ECB now expects all squad members to return ahead of the West Indies series.
Two other inclusions in Brook’s first squads are particularly impacted: the returning Will Jacks and relative newcomer Jacob Bethell, who play for Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru respectively and are chasing a play-off. Two others, Jofra Archer and Jamie Overton, are already out of contention for the knockouts.
Archer has emerged as a slight injury concern for the series having been named in the ODI squad only. The fast bowler has been dealing with a thumb injury, reports suggest, and the Rajasthan Royals elected not to recall him for the latter stages of the IPL, though the ECB are not thought to be overly worried about his fitness.
In other news, England have added former New Zealand seamer Tim Southee to their coaching staff on a short-term basis across all formats.
Southee concluded his Test career last December as his nation’s all-time leading wicket-taker, and will support England’s bowlers through to the conclusion of the five-Test series against India before playing for the Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred.
A former teammate of head coach Brendon McCullum, the 36-year-old will link up with the Test squad ahead of the four-day encounter with Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge, which begins on Thursday 22 May.
Additional reporting by PA
