Jos Buttler remains active in the 2022 IPL with Rajasthan Royals
(Picture: Getty Images)England will consider resting IPL stars such as Jos Buttler for next month’s three-match ODI series in the Netherlands.
Next week, England are due to name a squad for the series, which will be their first under Matthew Mott, the new white-ball head coach.
There will be no Test players, such as Ben Stokes (who will not play white-ball internationals at all this summer) or Jonny Bairstow, in the squad as the series is squeezed between the Second and Third Tests against New Zealand.
Buttler is one of two English players (David Willey is the other) still at the IPL and while it is expected that like others they will come straight back into Vitality Blast action, England’s management may conclude when meeting next week that they take some time out with their families rather than travelling to the Netherlands.
Captain Eoin Morgan, in an interview with Standard Sport, said yesterday that this will be an “experimental” summer for his white-ball team, in which we could see “third-string” lineups.
The absence of Buttler, the IPL’s leading runscorer, and others would free up opportunities for the likes of Phil Salt and Tom Banton.
It may also lead to debuts for uncapped players such as Joe Clarke, although England would have to consider whether selecting him is appropriate.
Clarke spoke this week of his “embarrassment and shame” over his involvement in a vulgar WhatsApp group with the convicted rapist Alex Hepburn, his former Worcestershire team-mate.
