Jos Buttler remains out of the ODI leg of England tour of the West Indies

England is forced to move ahead without its full-time white-ball captain, Jos Buttler in yet another series. The skipper has been announced to be unavailable for the upcoming ODI series against West Indies. The wicket-keeper batter has been battling with an incessant calf injury for a signficant time now. However, the team remains hopeful of his return for the T20I leg of the West Indies Tour of England. In Buttler's absence, Liam Livingstone who came up with a remarkable batting display in the recently wrapped series against Australia has been handed the ODI captaincy of England.

Jos Buttler ruled out of the West Indies vs England ODI series

Jos Buttler's return as England's white-ball captain has been pushed back by at least three more matches, as he’s been ruled out of the upcoming ODI series against West Indies. The 34-year-old batter has been grappling with this injury for the past four months. Buttler hasn’t featured in any competitive cricket since England's T20 World Cup exit in June, where they lost in the semi-finals to India. Buttler, moreover, marked his absence from the entirety of The Hundred tournament before pulling out of Australia series in September. Now, as ECB announced the squad for the Caribbean Tour, the board informed of a "minor setback" in his recovery. The statement, furthermote, informed that Buttler will head directly to Barbados for the five-match T20I series, starting November 9.

In Buttler’s absence, Liam Livingstone has been named England’s ODI captain, marking his first time in the role. Harry Brook, who stood in as captain during the 50-over series against Australia, is currently in Rawalpindi preparing for the third and final Test against Pakistan. To provide additional cover, Michael Pepper, Essex’s wicketkeeper-batter, has been called up to the squad. Although it was planned to bring in two more players after the team selection for the Rawalpindi Test, Jordan Cox, England’s spare Test batter who debuted in white-ball cricket against Australia, and leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed are potential inclusions.

While ECB remains hopeful for Buttler's return, his long-marked absence from cricket has cast aspersions on his career ahead. However, Brendon McCullum who was recently appointed as the white-ball head coach of England has reinstated his faith in Buttler's comeback in the team. The former New Zealand star player, now the head coach of England across formats, is still keeping Buttler at the center of all his plans in the shorter formats of the game. McCullum even remarked that Buttler has been "a little bit miserable at times" while dealing with his injury setback.

Moreover, England's interim head-coach for the Caribbean Tour, Marcus Trescothick also shunned any such possibilities. The former England player remarked that Buttler is still one of the best players in the side. He remained positive of Buttler's capability to fit seamlessly within the team despite the long-sought break from his duties within the side due to the calf injury.

"There's no reason why Jos won't fit back into that mould, score millions of runs, captain well and fit back into the team perfectly," Trescothick said. "Let's make it clear," Trescothick said. "He will come straight back in. At what position, I don't know. We'll look at that for the Caribbean," the interim head coach added.