Harry Brook to lead England in Australia ODIs with injured Buttler ruled out, Livingstone returns

Batter Harry Brook will lead England for the first time during the five-match Australia ODIs, with regular captain Jos Buttler ruled out of the remainder of the home summer with the calf injury he suffered in July. Buttler’s injury meant all-rounder Liam Livingstone got a recall to the One-day side following his star showing in the recently concluded T20I series. Liam top-scored in two contested matches with 124 runs and was also the highest wicket-taker (5).

England’s squad for Australia ODIs –Harry Brook (captain), Jofra Archer, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Reece Topley and John Turner.

The management has been grooming Brook to lead England across formats for some time now. Having led their Under-19 side during the 2018 World Cup before, Brook captained Yorkshire in four matches during the 2022 T20 Blast and led Northern Superchargers in the Hundred earlier this year, where he won five out of six games.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

The ECB named Brook England’s Test vice-captain for the Sri Lanka series, which the hosts won 2-1.

ALSO READ:Ravi Ashwin labels Jasprit Bumrah ‘most valuable Indian cricketer’, says 'he should be celebrated more'

Though the management rested the star batter for Australia T20Is with Phil Salt leading in Buttler’s absence, Brook returned to the ODI setup as the new skipper.

Buttler, who watched Brook grow into a first-team player, wishes him good luck in his first assignment as England captain.

“It's going to be a great opportunity for Brooky to be the captain,” Buttler said.

“He is a pretty laid-back character, but I think he has everything in line. He is a really good thinker about it... I'm sure he'll do that his own way, and he'll get a feel for those moments [in games].

“That's what we're encouraging everyone as a side - whether that's a player or a captain - is to try and identify those moments that you think can go a long way to you winning the game and going for it and committing to it,” he continued.

Buttler eyes return during Caribbean tour

Admitting feeling gutted to miss out on the Australian series, Buttler said his recovery has been slower than expected but looks forward to plenty of cricket that awaits.

With England’s next white-ball assignment being an away tour of the West Indies, Buttler aims to attain full fitness by then.

"It's a bit slower than hoped," Buttler said of his recovery.

"I'm going to be missing the ODI series as well, so that's a shame. But at my age, just got to make sure I get it right. It's obviously a shame to miss some cricket and stuff, but I just want to get it right. There's lots to look forward to in the future.

"Injuries force you to stop and take a different perspective, and it's nice to be around the guys, getting to know some new faces and seeing what they're all about; trying to share my ideas and listen to theirs and how they operate and building those relationships, which are obviously really important,” he added.

Meanwhile, the five-match ODI series starts at Trent Bridge on Thursday and runs until September 29.

(With inputs from agencies)