Lawrence Provides Cover as Jos Buttler Withdraws from Oval Decider with Hamstring Issue

Jos Buttler has been ruled out of England’s third and deciding ODI against Sri Lanka at The Oval on September 27, 2026, after suffering a left hamstring injury while running between wickets during the second ODI at Headingley on September 24. Dan Lawrence has been called up to the squad as cover, with Jordan Cox set to assume the wicketkeeping duties in Buttler’s absence.

Buttler scored 69 in the Headingley match, his highest ODI score in three years, before pulling up with the injury. He received treatment from England physio Steve Haw, faced two additional deliveries, and briefly returned to the crease before holing out. England subsequently lost that match by 16 runs, leaving the three-match series tied at 1-1 heading into Sunday’s decider.

England will receive further updates on the extent of Buttler’s injury early next week following an MRI scan. The 36-year-old has a history of soft-tissue issues in recent years, including a similar left hamstring problem during the 2024 IPL season.

Why has Dan Lawrence been added to the squad?

Lawrence, who has yet to earn an international cap in either white-ball format, was withdrawn from Surrey’s County Championship match against Somerset after scoring his sixth century of the season on September 24. He is scheduled to train with the ODI squad at The Oval on Saturday ahead of the decisive match.

Lawrence has been in exceptional red-ball form this year, registering three half-centuries in four innings during England’s recent Test series victory over Pakistan. He was previously called up to England’s ODI squad to face Pakistan in 2021 during a Covid isolation period but did not feature. His List A experience is limited, with his most recent appearance in that format occurring in May 2019 across 28 games in total.

What does Buttler’s absence mean for England’s wicketkeeping plans?

Cox is expected to step in behind the stumps at The Oval, with the match likely to be only his fourth ODI cap. He is preferred over Tom Banton for the keeping role in this fixture. England captain Harry Brook’s side will be looking to seal the series against a Sri Lanka team led by Kusal Mendis.

England’s new white-ball mentor Kevin Pietersen stated that opportunities arising from player injuries will give the Three Lions a chance to add depth to their squad heading into next year’s ODI World Cup.

“[We need to] have certain players in certain positions, in order for us to know that if something like this happens to Jos in, say, the final round of whatever game in South Africa, and you’ve got to go and play a quarter-final, that somebody can step up into Jos’s boots – like we’re going to need to have on Sunday,” Kevin Pietersen was quoted as saying by ESPN.

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