Jos Buttler has been ruled out of England’s third and final ODI against Sri Lanka at The Oval on September 27, 2026, after suffering a left hamstring injury while dashing between wickets in the second ODI at Headingley on September 24. Dan Lawrence has been brought up to the squad as a backup, with Jordan Cox poised to take over in Jos Buttler absence.
Jos Buttler hit 69 in the Headingley encounter, his highest ODI score in three years, before withdrawing with an injury. He was treated by 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, bringing the three-match series even at 1-1 heading into Sunday’s decider.
England will learn more about the nature of Jos Buttler injury early next week after an MRI scan. The 36-year-old has a history of soft-tissue issues in recent years, including a similar left hamstring injury during the 2024 IPL season.
Why was Dan Lawrence added to the squad?
Lawrence, who has yet to obtain an international cap in any white-ball format, was pulled from Surrey’s County Championship match against Somerset on September 24 after scoring his sixth hundred of the season. He is scheduled to train with the ODI squad at The Oval on Saturday ahead of the decider.
Lawrence has been in excellent red-ball form this year, scoring three half-centuries in four innings during England’s recent Test series victory over Pakistan. He was previously called up to England’s One-Day International team to face Pakistan in 2021 during a Covid isolation spell, but did not participate. His List A experience is sparse, with his most recent outing in that format being in May 2019, spanning 28 games.
What implications does Jos Buttler absence have for England’s wicketkeeping plans?
Cox is slated to start behind the stumps at The Oval, where he will likely make his fourth ODI appearance. He is preferred over Tom Banton for the goalkeeping position in this game. England skipper Harry Brook’s team will try to win the series against Sri Lanka, captained by Kusal Mendis.
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England’s new white-ball coach, Kevin Pietersen, believes that possibilities created by player injuries will allow the Three Lions to add depth to their roster ahead of next year’s ODI World Cup.
