"There are some frustrations at certain points" - Jos Buttler on players skipping Bangladesh tour for franchise cricket commitments

England white-ball skipper Jos Buttler has expressed his frustration over players missing the Bangladesh tour to play franchise cricket. However, the 32-year-old understands the players' priorities based on the situation.

The England Cricket Board (ECB) announced the limited-overs squads for the three ODIs and as many T20Is against Bangladesh on Thursday. However, a handful of key players are not part of the tour, wanting to fulfill their lucrative stints in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

The likes of Alex Hales, Liam Dawson, and Sam Billings will ply their trade for their respective PSL franchises. Left-arm seamer David Willey doesn't have a PSL deal, but is not part of the ODI or T20 squad for the Bangladesh tour. Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone are yet to recover from injuries.

Buttler acknowledged not wanting to be the type of captain who would block them from playing for England again, given the times they live in.

"I certainly don’t want to be in a position where you rule people out and say they’ll never play for England again or anything like that. Wherever people are playing, we want to pick out best available team, especially for World Cups and big ICC events, so we are open-minded," he said, as quoted by The Evening Standard.

Buttler added that he prefers a full-strength team for wherever they play.

"It’s quite complicated, for sure, and of course there are some frustrations at certain points but I completely understand people’s positions and it’s an individual decision at the end of the day," the Lancashire cricketer said.

England stretched their resources as much as possible to create their squad, giving chances to Somerset's Tom Abell and leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed, who made his Test debut against Pakistan in December.

"It’s quite a unique situation" - Jos Buttler

Jos Buttler. (Imags Credits: Getty)

Buttler further stated that the lack of available players is a unique situation altogether and understands the priorities of the players based on the paychecks on offer. He feels the absence of first-choice cricketers is a good opportunity for fringe players to shine.

"It’s quite a unique situation. As an England captain, on one side you wish that everyone would see playing for England as the main thing and grab any opportunity available but there are bigger things in play as well and the discrepancy between what people can earn playing for England and not playing for England is quite large," he said.

Buttler added that it is important to evolve with the changing game.

"In this day and age, you’ve got to try to work with it as best you can. If people make that choice to make themselves unavailable they know they’re giving someone else a chance as well," he said.

England's tour to Bangladesh begins with the first ODI in Dhaka on March 1st.