England captain Jos Buttler will miss the third T20I against Pakistan that is set to be played on May 28 as he is on paternity leave. He and his wife Louise are expecting their third child soon. Buttler also missed the training session on Monday (May 27) afternoon in Cardiff and is unlikely to be available for the match as well.
According to a report in ESPNCricinfo, it is still not clear whether the English skipper will join the team back in time for the fourth and final T20I of the series. The last match between England and Pakistan will take place on May 30 at the Oval and on the very next day, England's T20 World Cup squad is scheduled to travel to the Caribbean.
However, Buttler is expected to travel with the team for the mega event. Earlier, the 33-year-old had clearly stated that he would be with his family during the birth of his third child irrespective of the World Cup. This had raised a prospect of him even missing England's first group game against Scotland on June 4. But now it seems that the captain will be available from the first game for the defending champions.
Moeen Ali will be leading England in his absence and he had underlined the importance of being on the same page with the captain. "Obviously if it happens, then it's a great honour - as it always is. I'll be fine. Nothing will change too much: it's just taking over from what he's doing and then when he comes back, he takes over.
"Hopefully, the baby comes at the right time where he doesn't miss too many games. For me, it's just whatever will happen, will happen. [Deputising] is not really difficult, to be honest with you, because we speak often, me and Jos. We talk about other things, the team, and all that. We're on the same page anyway," Buttler said. For the unversed, England are leading the four-match series 1-0 against Pakistan with the opening game being washed out and the hosts won the second T20I by 23 runs.
