England will miss the service of senior wicket-keeper batsman Jos Buttler in the fifth and final Ashes Test, confirmed captain Joe Root. With the series already done and dusted, the final match of the series will commence on January 14 in Hobart.
Incidentally, Buttler had copped a blow on his left index finger while wicket-keeping during the first innings of the pink-ball Test. While he made lion-hearted efforts to come out with the bat and help in the cause to save the Test match for England, he couldn’t keep wickets in the second innings. The visiting side had to field a substitute wicket-keeper in Ollie Pope.
While speculations were on a high about his availability, Joe Root has confirmed that Jos Buttler will not be part of the final game and will fly home for further treatments. Speaking at the end of the game, Root said:
“Jos Buttler’s going to be going home, quite a bad injury, a shame for him and the team. The way he stood up through the rest of the game is testament to his character.”
Sam Billings called in as Jos Buttler’s replacements
England have called in Sam Billings as Jos Buttler’s replacement for the final match of the series. Billing just completed a Big Bash League (BBL) spell with Sydney Thunder, was due to fly to the UK on Friday to prepare for England’s T20I tour of West Indies.
Instead, he will now join the England squad in Sydney after a period of isolation in the team hotel, subject to returning a negative Covid test result and possibly make his Test debut in the fifth game.
Billings averages over 34 in 74 first-class matches, including six centuries and 15 fifties.
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