In the wake of Jos Buttler's calf injury setback, Liam Livingstone will lead England for the first time in the next ODI series against the West Indies next month. Buttler's calf tear kept him out of action as he has not participated in matches since the T20 World Cup in June. He missed both the white-ball series against Australia and The Hundred.
Buttler was originally included in the West Indies tour squad, but due to his ongoing recuperation, he was forced to miss the ODI leg. He should be back in time for the five-match T20 series, which gets underway in Barbados on November 9. When Lancashire announced that Livingstone had been promoted to the position of tour skipper and made the news official.
"Liam Livingstone will step in as captain for the ODI series with the Lancashire all-rounder set to lead England for the first time whilst Jos Buttler continues his recovery from injury," read the statement from Lancashire cricket.
Due to overlapping Test tours in Pakistan and New Zealand, England's roster is stretched, and they are lacking important leadership choices such as Harry Brook (who captained the ODI team against Australia) and Ben Duckett (who is also committed to Test commitments). Livingstone has thus been appointed captain instead of Phil Salt, who captained the T20 team against Australia but is still learning the ropes in ODI cricket.
Concerns regarding Buttler's long-term fitness are raised by his extended absence from ODI action, particularly with the Champions Trophy in Pakistan scheduled for February. Buttler will have missed three ODIs in January to regain form before the big event, having gone an entire year without participating in an ODI by the time he returns.
England squad for West Indies tour: Jofra Archer, Jacob Bethell, Jafer Chohan, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone (C), Saqib Mahmood, Dan Mousley, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, John Turner, Michael Pepper
