England captain Jos Buttler has been ruled out of the team’s upcoming ODI tri-series in Pakistan after suffering a hamstring injury during the second ODI against Sri Lanka at Headingley in Leeds on Thursday, September 24, 2026.
The 36-year-old injured his left hamstring while batting and had to leave the field before coming back later in the innings. He scored 69 runs but could not stay until the end as England lost the match by 16 runs.
Buttler missed the third ODI at The Oval, with Jordan Cox taking his place as wicketkeeper. Cox took his chance well, scoring 76 runs as England defeated Sri Lanka by 223 runs to win the three-match series 2-1.
Buttler’s injury is a concern for England as they prepare for the 2027 50-over World Cup, but he has not been ruled out of the tournament.
Addressing the media about Buttler’s injury, the England coach Brendon McCullum said, “Jos won’t be in Pakistan. We know he’s an incredible athlete, we know he’s supremely fit and an ultra-professional, so he’ll do everything he can to get back as soon as possible, but it’s hard to judge how long that will be.
“It’s disappointing not to have Jos but it will be good for us to see where we’re at. Between now and 14 months’ time lots of things will go wrong, there’ll be lots of selections you think will happen and someone will get injured, or there’ll be a scheduling issue.
“You almost have to catastrophise these things a little to prepare yourself for that World Cup.”
