Jos Buttler, the captain of England’s white-ball team, has been ruled out of the current Hundred Men’s Competition 2024, a big setback to the Manchester Originals. The injury is to his calf. The Originals’ campaign has had a difficult start to the season until this news breaks.
The squad’s first three games ended in defeat, thus the 33-year-old was expected to lead the team. However, his absence from those games prompted doubts about his availability.
For the second year running, Jos Buttler calf issues have prevented him from participating in a significant portion of The Hundred.
The setback couldn’t have happened at a worse moment for the Originals, who haven’t won any of the competition so far this year.
The club was expected to rely heavily on Buttler’s batting prowess and leadership qualities, particularly in light of their close call with the Oval Invincibles in last year’s championship game. His retirement not only affects the on-field performance of the previous runners-up, but it also takes away one of the tournament’s star players.
Next up, Manchester Originals will take against Northern Superchargers.
The wicketkeeper-batter injury comes at a particularly bad time for The Hundred tournament. Potential investors have shown interest in this year’s event as the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) intends to sell ownership rights in the eight teams this autumn. The marketability of the sport may be impacted by the absence of well-known players like Buttler.
Buttler is still the captain of England’s white-ball team despite this loss. In their forthcoming series against Australia, which runs from September 11 to September 29, he is expected to captain the national squad in three Twenty20 matches and five one-day matches.
Following the departure of Matthew Mott, Marcus Trescothick will take over as England’s acting head coach for this series.
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The Manchester-based team will play the Northern Superchargers on August 4 at Headingley in Leeds, in the meanwhile.