London: Right-hand batter Harry Brook is set to lead England in the upcoming one-day series against Australia after regular wicketkeeper Jos Buttler was ruled out due to his ongoing recovery from a right calf injury. The 34-year-old batter has been nursing a calf injury that he suffered while preparing for The Hundred 2024, leading to him missing the entire season as well as the ongoing T20I series against Australia, with wicketkeeper-batter Phil Salt being captioned England.
Buttler, who was originally named in England’s ODI squad but has now been ruled out of subsequent ODI series as well, continues to recover from the calf injury being slower than expected timelines. The Lancashire cricketer’s last appearance for England came in the 2024 T20 World Cup semifinal against India. After suffering a 68-run defeat to India while chasing a target of 172, they were knocked out in Providence Stadium in Guyana on June 27.
The series against Australia will mark Brook’s first assignment as skipper of the national team in any format, although the 25-year-old right-hand batter has previously played for Yorkshire in the T20 blast and the Northern Superchargers in the hundred. During England’s Test series against Sri Lanka, Brook was the vice captain when Ollie Pope became the stand-in skipper in the absence of injured Ben Stokes. He has also captioned England in an Under-19 World Cup in 2018.
The ECB said in an official statement as, “For the first time, Yorkshire right-handed batter Harry Brook will captain the ODI team in Buttler’s absence.” Butler said, “It’s going to be a great opportunity for Brooky to be the captain.” The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have had to make another change to their line-up as left-arm pacer Josh Hull is sidelined from the ODI series due to a squad injury. Hull, who recently debuted for England in the third test match against Sri Lanka, impressed everyone by taking three wickets in the first innings. The 20-year-old Hull has also been named in England’s squad for the three-test tour of Pakistan, starting in October.
In Butler’s place, spin bowling all-rounder Liam Livingstone, who is currently in red-hot form at the ongoing T20I series, has been brought into the squad for the five-match ODI series, which begins at the Trent Bridge in Nottingham on September 19.
Livingstone returns to the squad after initially being left out of the ODI squad and had an outstanding run in the first two T20I games against Australia, especially after making a superb 87 (47) runs in the series-leveling win at Sophia Garden cricket ground, Cardiff. The first ODI begins on September 19 in Trent Bridge, Nottingham. The venues for the remaining ODI matches are Leeds, Chester-le-Street, Lord’s, and Bristol.
England ODI squad against Australia: Harry Brook (captain), Jofra Archer, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Liam Livingstone, Will Jacks, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Reece Topley, and John Turner.
