England captain Jos Buttler has withdrawn from Lancashire's T20 Blast quarter-final due to a setback in his recovery from a calf injury, casting doubt on his availability for the upcoming T20I series against Australia.
Buttler, who hasn't played since England's semi-final defeat to India at the T20 World Cup in June, was expected to make his return in Lancashire's match at Hove. However, a recurrence of his calf issue has raised concerns about his fitness for the T20Is. England remains hopeful that Buttler will be able to lead the team throughout Australia's eight-match white-ball tour, with the first T20I scheduled for September 11. The squad will gather at the Utilita Bowl on Sunday for training, where Buttler's condition will be reassessed.
If Buttler is unable to play, Sam Curran and Phil Salt are the top contenders to step in as stand-in captain. Although Buttler is unlikely to keep wicket during the series, this could improve his chances of participating despite the injury setback.
Lancashire coach Dale Benkenstein confirmed Buttler's withdrawal, telling BBC Radio Lancashire, "We've had some bad news on his recovery. He had an injury he was recovering from, and he's tweaked it again. He's not only just out of our T20s but might also struggle to make the international ones. He was very keen to play for us."
Despite Buttler's absence, Lancashire will still have other England players, including Salt, Liam Livingstone, and Saqib Mahmood, available for the quarter-final. Jofra Archer is expected to feature for Sussex, whose T20 side is captained by Tymal Mills. Hove has not hosted a T20 quarter-final with a crowd since 2019, and tickets have been sold out for the past two weeks.