IND vs ENG: Jos Buttler to miss the fourth Test, Sam Billings added in England squad as a replacement – England wicket-keeper batsman Jos Buttler will miss the foruth Test of the ongoing Test series against India for the birth of his second child. In place of Buttler, wicket-keeper batsman SamBilings has been added to the England squad. All-rounder Chris Woakes also made a return to the England squad ahead of the fourth Test.
ICC announced the news of their official Twitter handle on Sunday. “Chris Woakes makes a return to the England squad for the fourth #ENGvIND Test. Sam Billings has been added as a replacement for Jos Buttler, who will miss the Test for the birth of his second child,“ ICC wrote in the caption of Chris Woakes’ photo.
Chris Woakes makes a return to the England squad for the fourth #ENGvIND Test.
Sam Billings has been added as a replacement for Jos Buttler, who will miss the Test for the birth of his second child. pic.twitter.com/3mVPEUqrKB
— ICC (@ICC) August 29, 2021
Sam has not played a single Test match so far. He has played 25 ODIs and 32 T20Is for the English side. Jos kept wickets for England in the last three Tests however, Jonny Bairstow who is also on the side can play the role of wicket-keeper.
IND vs ENG – Why Jos Butler is unavailable? As England prepare for the upcoming fourth Test at the Oval, there lingers speculation on the availability of Jos Buttler, who will miss the rest of the England summer due to the birth of his second child.
Joe Root has remained tight-lipped regarding the whole scenario. But he admitted that he don’t have confirmation on the wicket-keeper’s availability for the remaining games against India.
“That will be cleared up in the next couple of days. Hopefully, we can have some clarity on that and get that across to you as soon as that’s set in stone. I couldn’t tell you honestly either way at the minute. I don’t want to say one thing and it not turn out to be true.”
That winning feeling 🤩
Day 4 Highlights: https://t.co/YrKUMjrmjx
🏴 #ENGvIND 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/Bi6S3E3xsf
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 28, 2021
IND vs ENG: Jos Buttler could miss out final two tests against India, Ashes due to the birth of his second child; Joe Root tight-lipped ahead of 4th Test
The wicket-keeper batsman featured in all three Tests of the series so far. While Buttler has maintained his availability for the T20 World Cup, he has already opted out of IPL 2021 Phase 2 and is sceptical of making the tour Down Under for The Ashes.
IND vs ENG – Jos Butler Unavailable – The Rajasthan Royals star had admitted last week that his family had sacrificed a lot and he might miss the final Test against India at Old Trafford next month as his wife, Louise, is due to give birth to their second child on the day that match starts. Buttler had earlier said,
“One of the challenges is working out where the line is where you say, “I can’t do that”. I’ve sacrificed a lot for cricket and my wife and family have sacrificed a lot. You have to be open to saying no. It would be incredibly disappointing if some players feel like they can’t do it, but we’re in a world at the moment where that is a possibility.”
IND vs ENG – England Playing XI Changes? As per the Daily Mail, England are expected to bring back Dan Lawerence into the XI, while Jonny Bairstow will deputise for Buttler. While Ollie Pope is fit and part of the squad, Lawrence is likely to be given a run into the side.
Joe Root is also expecting some good news and is hopeful that Chris Woakes and Mark Wood will be available for IND vs ENG test at The Oval, after recovering from heel and shoulder injuries respectively. England are already dealing with the absences of Stuart Broad, Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer, with the latter also ruled out of the Ashes.
