Jos Buttler, the captain of England, claims he is “100% fit” to play again after missing almost two months due to a calf injury.
As they complete their World Cup preparations, Buttler will captain England against Australia in the first three Twenty20 internationals on Sunday.
The 32-year-old was completely absent during England’s 4-3 series victory in Pakistan and hasn’t played since The Hundred.
Buttler told BBC Sport that his fitness was excellent. I’m in terrific shape and eager to play cricket once again.
Following two games in Canberra on Wednesday and Friday, England will play the hosts and reigning T20 World Cup winners in Perth on Sunday (09:10 BST).
Before their World Cup campaign gets underway against Afghanistan in Perth on October 22, they play one more pre-tournament game—probably not a full international—against Pakistan in Brisbane on October 17.
Although Buttler is well, England is still concerned about batsman Liam Livingstone. The latter has been out since The Hundred with an ankle injury and may not be available to play in the first round of the competition.
He is now touched off, but he is building back, according to Buttler. “Hopefully, he’ll regain full fitness before the World Cup begins.”
Along with all-rounder Ben Stokes and fast bowler Chris Jordan, Livingstone is one of three players who have joined England after the Pakistan trip.
Test skipper Stokes will likely bat at number four in his first T20 match since March 2021.
Ben is a player who wants to give as many opportunities to influence the game as possible, Buttler added.
To get the most out of him, we want to move him as far up the pecking order as possible, give him as much responsibility as we can, and let him play as he wants.
Phil Salt and Alex Hales, who began together in all but one of the matches in Pakistan, will now have to make way for Buttler at the top of the order.
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They both provide great alternatives and have various styles, according to Buttler. I’ll get down with the coach [Matthew Mott] and discuss my options before deciding who is the most excellent choice.”
Australia has changed up its lineup after barely finishing a 2-0 series victory over the West Indies on Friday in Brisbane, on the other side of the nation.
Rest has been given to Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, and Mitchell Starc.
In his sixth match for Australia, batter Tim David scored 42 runs off 20 balls on Friday.
26-year-old David, who had previously represented Singapore in 14 international matches, established himself via a succession of outstanding showings in franchise competitions worldwide.
Opening batsman David Warner stated, “Now that he’s in our squad and our setup, it’s a godsend.”
“He is a fantastic player. He enhances our middle order because of his considerable power, and he is a good fit for us because of his height, strength, and playing style.”
In their most recent T20 match, England defeated Australia by an eight-wicket margin in the World Cup’s group stage last year.
However, Australia won the title after defeating New Zealand in the final, while England was eliminated in the semi-finals.
Australia wicketkeeper Matthew Wade remarked, “It was a lightning moment for the squad that we needed to alter how we played.
“They destroyed us in the World Cup match, and that game impacted the way we approached playing T20 cricket moving forward.
They have long served as the standard in T20, so it will be beneficial to put ourselves to the test.