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Jos Buttler has been ruled out of England’s third and deciding ODI against Sri Lanka at The Oval on September 27, 2026, after sustaining a left hamstring injury while running between wickets during the second ODI at Headingley on September 24. Dan Lawrence has been called up to the squad as cover, while Jordan Cox is expected to take the gloves in Buttler’s absence.
Buttler scored 69 in the Headingley match, his highest ODI score in three years, before pulling up with the injury. He received treatment from England physio Steve Haw, faced two more deliveries and briefly returned to the crease before holing out. England went on to lose that match by 16 runs, leaving the three-match series level at 1-1 ahead of Sunday’s decider.
England will have more information on the extent of Buttler’s injury early next week following an MRI scan. The 36-year-old has a history of soft-tissue problems in recent years, including a similar left hamstring issue during the 2024 IPL season.
Why has Dan Lawrence been added to the squad?
Lawrence, who is yet to win an international cap in either white-ball format, was withdrawn from Surrey’s County Championship match at Somerset after scoring his sixth hundred of the season on September 24. He is set to train with the ODI squad at The Oval on Saturday ahead of the decider.
Lawrence has been in strong red-ball form this year and made three half-centuries in four innings during England’s recent Test series win over Pakistan. He was previously called up to England’s ODI squad to face Pakistan in 2021 during a Covid isolation period but did not play. His List A experience is limited, with his most recent appearance in that format coming in May 2019 across 28 games in total.
What does Buttler’s absence mean for England’s wicketkeeping plans?
Cox is expected to step in behind the stumps at The Oval, with the match likely to be only his fourth ODI cap. He is preferred ahead of Tom Banton for the keeping role in this fixture. England captain Harry Brook’s side will be looking to seal the series against a Sri Lanka team led by Kusal Mendis.
Also Read: ‘We have to focus on the next game and do the basics right’ – Kusal Mendis eyes series decider after stunning Headingley ton
England’s new white-ball mentor Kevin Pietersen said that opportunities that arise after player injuries will give the Three Lions a chance to add depth to their squad heading into next year’s ODI World Cup.
“[We need to] have certain players in certain positions, in order for us to know that if something like this happens to Jos in, say, the final round of whatever game in South Africa, and you’ve got to go and play a quarter-final, that somebody can step up into Jos’s boots – like we’re going to need to have on Sunday,” Kevin Pietersen was quoted as saying by ESPN.
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