Jos Buttler has had surgery on his left hamstring and will miss England’s white-ball tour of Australia, with no date set for his return.
The injury happened in the second ODI against Sri Lanka at Headingley last month, where Buttler had made 69 from 49 balls with five sixes before he pulled up. He retired hurt, came back out and did not last long.
England lost that match but went on to win the series without him.
He announced the operation on Instagram on Monday with a photograph taken from a hospital bed.
Buttler wrote: “Successful surgery and on the road to recovery. Feeling more motivated than ever!”
The three-game series in Pakistan was already beyond him. England play Pakistan and Sri Lanka there between October 18 and 31, opening against the hosts in Rawalpindi on Tuesday October 20 at 9am UK time.
Australia is the bigger loss, for both player and team. England have three ODIs and five T20s to play, starting in Perth on November 13 and finishing in Canberra on December 2. That squad is named on Tuesday.
His next pencilled-in cricket is the SA20 in January, with Durban’s Super Giants.
Buttler contract runs out before World Cup
The surgery was performed on the same day as the announcement of England’s central-contract list, which gave Buttler another single year.
His deal now runs to September 30 next year, with the 50-over World Cup coming after that.
Buttler will now miss the white-ball tour of Australia
Adil Rashid is in the same position, extended by one year rather than two.
Eleven players are contracted through to autumn 2028. Test captain Joe Root and white-ball captain Harry Brook are among them, with Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue, Jacob Bethell, Sam Curran, Will Jacks and Sonny Baker.
Two of the men who covered for Buttler were rewarded on Monday. Jordan Cox, who took his place in the ODI side and made a maiden half-century in the series decider against Sri Lanka, has signed for two years.
Tom Banton, who hit his first international hundred in the final match of that series at The Kia Oval, has a first central contract.
Zak Crawley’s deal was not renewed, while Ben Stokes and Mark Wood have come off the list following their international retirements.
Watch England’s ODI tri-series in Pakistan live on Sky Sports between October 18 and 31. Not got Sky? Get the latest Sky Sports deals or stream with no contract
