Jos Buttler ruled out of remaining limited-overs matches against Sri Lanka due to calf injury

Wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler has been ruled out of the remainder of England's white-ball series against Sri Lanka. The ECB confirmed that the 30-year-old sustained a right calf injury during England’s win in the first T20I at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff on Wednesday.

Jos Buttler underwent an MRI on Thursday, which revealed a small tear. The official ECB statement in this regard said that the attacking batsman felt tightness and discomfort at the end of the game, in which he scored an unbeaten half-century.

Jos Buttler will now return home and begin his rehabilitation programme. Dawid Malan will replace Buttler in England's ODI squad for the series against Sri Lanka.

England clinched the three-match T20I series 2-0 with a five-wicket victory over the Lankans on Thursday. Sri Lanka won the toss and batted first but only managed to post 111 for 7 on the board. Kusal Mendis top-scored for the Lankans with 39. For England, Mark Wood and Adil Rashid claimed two wickets apiece.

England lost five wickets in their chase but managed to cross the revised D/L target of 103 from 18 overs in the 17th over. Sam Billings (24), Liam Livingstone (29 not out) and Sam Curran (16 not out) played handy cameos. Wanindu Hasaranga (2/20) was Sri Lanka’s best bowler.

Jos Buttler was the Man of the Match in England’s dominating win in 1st T20I

While he missed the second T20I against Sri Lanka due to a right calf injury, Jos Buttler was the star performer in England’s eight-wicket triumph in the opening T20I of the series. He scored an unbeaten 68 off 55 balls, hitting eight fours and a six, as England chased down a target of 130 in 17.1 overs.

Jos Buttler and fellow opener Jason Roy (36) featured in a stand of 80 to put England on course for victory in the first T20I.

Speaking ahead of the Sri Lanka series, Jos Buttler had made a strong statement when he asserted that national duty would take precedence over the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the event of a clash between the two. The wicketkeeper-batsman, who is an integral part of the Rajasthan Royals franchise, was quoted as telling BBC:

"Usually, the IPL doesn't clash with any international cricket. When it does clash, probably England will take precedence."

Meanwhile, England will take on Sri Lanka in the third T20I in Southampton on Saturday. The teams will then clash in three ODIs, starting with the first match in Chester-le-Street on June 29.