Jos Buttler, England’s white-ball captain, has expressed his dissatisfaction with the financial capabilities of various T20 franchises, which entice players to choose those tournaments over representing their country in international games. He expressed his disappointment at not being able to field the strongest possible team due to player availability.
The England Cricket Board (ECB) recently announced the squad for their ODI and T20I series against Bangladesh, and several big names were left out because they chose to play in various T20 leagues around the world. Alex Hales, Liam Dawson, and Sam Billings will be absent from the England squad due to their lucrative stints in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Apart from these players, Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone are also absent from the squad due to injuries. Buttler expressed his displeasure with the topic but insisted that he would not be the type of captain who would prevent them from playing for the national team.
Jos Buttler also acknowledged the disparity in pay that players can experience while playing for England versus any other T20 league in the world. The English captain understood the situation and was not afraid to speak openly about it. He cited England’s hectic schedule as one of the reasons for the players’ absence from international cricket.
“It’s quite a unique situation. It’s the time we are in. The way the games are scheduled, I can sort of understand it both ways. As an England captain, on the one hand, you wish that everyone would see playing for England as the main thing and grab any opportunity available. But there are bigger things at play as well. The discrepancy between what people can earn playing for England and not playing for England is quite large, so that’s a factor that must be considered,” Jos Buttler was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
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