Jos Buttler to miss rest of England's white-ball summer, Ben Stokes set for a comeback against Pakistan

England's white-ball vice-captain Jos Buttler has been ruled out of the rest of the white-ball summer due to a calf injury. He will now not only miss out on the upcoming three ODIs against Sri Lanka but also a couple of limited-overs series against Pakistan next month.

The wicketkeeper-batsman sustained a tear to his calf during his unbeaten, match-winning 68 in the opening T20I against Sri Lanka in Cardiff last Wednesday.

The ECB doesn't want to rush his recovery in a bid to ensure he's completely fit for the crucial five-Test rubber against India in August.

England white-ball skipper Eoin Morgan had recently hinted at Jos Buttler's likely extended spell on the sidelines. He said in a press conference on Saturday:

“Jos is out currently. Calves are sometimes difficult to come back with so we’ll be constantly monitoring that. Certainly, at the moment, it’s not a priority Jos is 100% fit for the white-ball stuff. Given the cricket he has coming up with Tests, a T20 World Cup and a possible Ashes down the line, I think there are other priorities he needs to be fit for.”

A chase bossed by Jos. 💥68* (55) 👏Player of the Match 🏆🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 1️⃣ - 0️⃣ 🇱🇰#RoyalsFamily | #ENGvSL | @josbuttler | 📸: @ICC pic.twitter.com/O9X28VaNEr

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) June 24, 2021

England made light work of a young Sri Lankan team, defeating them 3-0. The first ODI will be played on July 1 at The Oval.

England set to receive a major boost with Ben Stokes' return

That celebration from @benstokes38 😍#Blast21 pic.twitter.com/FoFQgFXBLL

— Vitality Blast (@VitalityBlast) June 27, 2021

Meanwhile, Test vice-captain and star all-rounder Ben Stokes is all but set to return to the international fold after a five-month hiatus.

The 30-year-old fractured a finger during his short stint at the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2021. He recently proved his fitness for Durham in the T20 Blast by collecting 95 runs at a strike rate of 132 and five wickets at an average of 23.40 from four games.

Stokes' most recent performance, against the Birmingham Bears, included two towering sixes against his old West Indian foe Carlos Brathwaite and a superb four-wicket haul.

He is expected to be included in England's squad for their limited-overs series against Pakistan, which will commence on July 8.