New Delhi, October 21: Big-hitting all-rounder Liam Livingstone has been named as England’s captain in their upcoming ODI series against the West Indies as regular skipper Jos Buttler misses out due to a slight setback in rehabilitation from a calf injury. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced the inclusion of Essex uncapped wicketkeeper-batter Michael Pepper. The England squad flies out to the Caribbean early next week and Buttler is to join up in Barbados ahead of the five-match T20I series starting on November 9. England White-Ball Captain Jos Buttler Wants Brendon McCullum’s Era To Be ‘Most Enjoyable Part of His Career’

Buttler, who’s suffered his third calf injury since 2021, has not played competitive cricket since the defeat in the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup semifinal against India at Guyana in June, after having missed the Hundred for Manchester Originals and September’s white-ball series against Australia at home due to a tear in his calf. With no Harry Brook, who captained England in white-ball matches against Australia and Ben Duckett for the tour of the Caribbean due to their involvement on an ongoing Test tour of Pakistan, Livingstone, 31, gets his first chance of captaining the side in international cricket, and will work with interim head coach Marcus Trescothick. IPL Franchises and Manchester United Co-Owners Showing Interest in ‘The Hundred’? Report Shows Top Bidders Compete For Stake in ECB’s Short Format Cricket Tournament.

Livingstone, a member of England's 2022 T20 World Cup-winning squad, has captained Lancashire in the T20 Blast and Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred. The ECB has also said it would add two more players from the ongoing Test tour to Pakistan to its Caribbean trip.

England squad: Jos Buttler (Captain for T20I Series only), Jofra Archer, Jacob Bethell, Jafer Chohan,
Sam Curran,
Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood,
Dan Mousley,
Jamie Overton, Michael Pepper, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley,
John Turner

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 21, 2024 08:54 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).