England have moved a step closer to a delicious pairing at the top of the order in one-day internationals, by adding Essex batsman Michael Pepper to a squad that contains Phil Salt.
Pepper received his first ODI call-up to face West Indies next week after Jos Buttler suffered a setback in his recovery from a calf tear that has dogged him for three months. In Buttler’s absence, Liam Livingstone is a surprise call to captain England for the first time.
Pepper, a confident 26-year-old born in Harlow, is a very real chance to open with Salt, one of the more seasoned campaigners in a young squad.
Like most young English players, Pepper has played little 50-over cricket (just seven matches), but earned his selection through short-form cricket.
This year, he made two centuries in the Vitality Blast, but also averaged 44 in the County Championship, including making two hundreds in September.
Buttler, 34, was initially named in the squad for the tour of the Caribbean, which features three ODIs and five T20s, but has been forced to withdraw from the ODI leg due to a setback in his recovery. He is expected to be fit for the T20s, which begin in Barbados on November 9.
The tour is sandwiched between Test trips to Pakistan and New Zealand, which has severely tested England’s depth. They are without captaincy candidates such as Harry Brook (who led the ODI team against Australia) and Ben Duckett because of Test commitments, so Livingstone has been thrust into the role. He has won the job ahead of Salt, who led the T20 team against Australia but is still finding his feet in ODI cricket.
Livingstone is entering the second year of a two-year contract with England, but found his career at a crossroads after an underwhelming spell, and even saw himself dropped from the ODI squad against Australia. However, Buttler’s injury saw him recalled and he batted well against Australia in Cardiff (in a T20) and at Lord’s (in an ODI) to shore up his spot, and has now been entrusted with the captaincy of a very inexperienced squad. The 31-year-old had one season (2018) as Lancashire’s club captain.
Shorn of their all-format players, England named a green 14-man squad for the tour. They have, however, vowed to add two further players to the squad from the group that is currently in Pakistan. One of those is certain to be Jordan Cox, the wicketkeeper-batsman who could come straight into the XI for Buttler.
But they have added another Essex keeper-bat in Pepper, with Tom Banton still unfit after a nasty ankle injury suffered playing for Somerset in September. Jonny Bairstow remains out of favour in all formats despite remaining under contract with England and being one of England’s great ODI openers.
Concerns about Buttler’s long-term fitness
Another setback from the muscle injury does raise concerns about Buttler’s long-term fitness. This tour will be overseen by interim head coach Marcus Trescothick, before Brendon McCullum takes over as all-format head coach in January. He replaces Matthew Mott, the Australian who was fired after two poor World Cup defences in the space of a year. Many saw Buttler as lucky to survive in his job, but McCullum has backed him heartily, saying he wants to bring some joy back to his game after a period in which he looked “a little bit miserable”.
The injury means Buttler will go a whole year without playing an ODI, and have just three matches in India in January to tune up for February’s Champions Trophy in Pakistan. With McCullum in charge, the India tour shapes as a genuine reset moment, when England should have all their best players available, given they do not play Test cricket between December and May. Ben Stokes, Joe Root and Mark Wood are among the all-format players England will have to weigh up bringing back.
Buttler has a lucrative deal – thought to be worth more than £100,000 – with Deccan Gladiators to play in the T10 league in Abu Dhabi, which begins on November 28. By then, it is likely that the 2025 Indian Premier League mega-auction will have taken place, with Riyadh considered favourite to host it. Buttler has a deal with Rajasthan Royals.
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