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England captain Jos Buttler has been ruled out of the forthcoming T20 series against Australia, with Phil Salt stepping up to lead the side.
A calf injury has kept Buttler on the sidelines since July and a recent setback – which saw him miss Lancashire’s Vitality Blast quarter-final – has extended his lay-off.
Salt, who deputised for Buttler at Manchester Originals in this season’s Hundred tournament, will lead his country for the first time at the Utilita Bowl on Wednesday before games at Sophia Gardens and his home ground of Emirates Old Trafford.
England have already started blooding a new generation of leaders this summer, with Ben Stokes’ torn hamstring allowing Ollie Pope to take charge of the ongoing Test series against Sri Lanka.
Harry Brook has served as Pope’s vice-captain and is expected to be named as skipper for the one-day internationals against Australia, should Buttler’s absence continue.
England have tweaked their squads to cover for Buttler, adding Surrey all-rounder Jamie Overton to the T20 squad and naming Jordan Cox as cover for the 50-over leg.
Marcus Trescothick will serve as interim head coach against Australia, with Test head coach Brendon McCullum taking over all formats in the new year.
