England Captain Jos Buttler Ruled Out Of Australia T20I Series

England Captain Jos Buttler Ruled Out Of Australia T20I Series (Image Source: Twitter)

England captain Jos Buttler has been ruled out of the upcoming Twenty20 series against Australia, with Phil Salt stepping up to lead the side. The 33-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman has not played since the T20 World Cup in June because of a calf injury and a recent setback has extended his lay-off.

Salt, who deputised for Buttler at Manchester Originals in this season's Hundred tournament, will lead England for the first time in Southampton on September 11, before games in Cardiff and at Old Trafford.

England have been forced to juggle the captaincy in recent months across different formats.

Ollie Pope has taken charge of the Test team against Sri Lanka in the absence of skipper Ben Stokes, who suffered a torn hamstring.

Harry Brook has served as Pope's vice-captain and is expected to be named as captain for the one-day internationals against Australia should Buttler's absence continue.

The five-match ODI series starts at Trent Bridge on September 19.

England have tweaked their squads to cover for Buttler, adding Surrey all-rounder Jamie Overton to the T20 group and naming Jordan Cox as cover for the 50-over matches.

Marcus Trescothick will serve as interim head coach against Australia, with Test head coach Brendon McCullum taking over all formats in the new year.