Jos Buttler Ruled Out of Third ODI Against Sri Lanka Due to Injury, Dan Lawrence Called Up
Jos Buttler misses the third ODI against Sri Lanka due to a hamstring injury, with Dan Lawrence stepping in for the match.
London, September 25 (Daily Kiran) : England wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler will miss the decisive third ODI against Sri Lanka, scheduled for Sunday at The Oval. He sustained a left hamstring injury during the second match at Headingley.
In his place, right-handed batsman Dan Lawrence, who is currently playing a County Championship match for Surrey against Somerset, has been called up for the final game of the series. Lawrence will join the national team for training at The Oval on Saturday morning.
An official statement from the England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed, “Surrey batsman Dan Lawrence has been selected for the England men’s team for the third Metro Bank ODI against Sri Lanka. Jos Buttler is ruled out due to a hamstring injury sustained during the second Metro Bank ODI at Headingley, and further assessments will be conducted.”
Buttler’s injury occurred during the 38th over of England’s innings on Thursday when he suddenly stopped while running between the wickets. Despite receiving immediate treatment on the field, the 36-year-old had to retire hurt after scoring 67 runs. He returned to the crease in the 48th over, attempting to help secure a win, but added only two more runs before being dismissed for 69. This marked his highest ODI score in three years, but England ultimately lost to Sri Lanka by 16 runs, leveling the three-match series at 1-1.
This latest hamstring issue adds to Buttler’s history of soft-tissue injuries. He had previously missed time during the IPL 2024 season due to a similar problem. In his absence, Jordan Cox is expected to take on wicketkeeping duties and make his fourth ODI appearance on Sunday.
Lawrence scored a century for Surrey on Thursday and recently contributed three half-centuries in England’s Test series victory against Pakistan. Although he was included in the ODI squad against Pakistan in 2021 amid a COVID-19 outbreak, he has yet to debut in white-ball cricket. To date, Lawrence has played only 28 List A matches, with his last outing occurring in May 2019.
