Jos Buttler has firmly insisted that he will refuse to rush his recovery from severe hamstring surgery, a cautious approach that could potentially sideline him from international cricket for England until September 2027.
The seasoned white-ball star, who recently celebrated his 36th birthday, suffered a significant grade-three tear to his left hamstring while running between the wickets during an One-Day International against Sri Lanka at Headingley last month. The severity of the injury necessitated surgical intervention earlier this month, ruling him out of England’s ongoing white-ball tri-series in Pakistan as well as their impending limited-overs tour of Australia.
Speaking candidly on his For the Love of Cricket podcast, Buttler outlined the extensive rehabilitation timeline laid out by his medical team. He revealed that he is facing a minimum 12-to-16-week recovery window from the date of his operation, making him a major doubt for England’s upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa in January. Consequently, his sights are tentatively set on making his competitive return during the SA20 franchise tournament, before heading into his 12th consecutive Indian Premier League season with the Gujarat Titans, who are widely expected to retain him ahead of the upcoming player retention deadline.
Because of England’s heavily congested and stop-start white-ball schedule—which includes a packed domestic mid-summer dominated by the men’s Ashes and The Hundred, alongside an agreement between the England and Wales Cricket Board and the Board of Control for Cricket in India allowing English players to remain available for the entirety of the lucrative IPL season—Buttler’s path back to international duty is exceptionally narrow. The IPL commitments could see him miss England’s five-match ODI series against Pakistan, which is scheduled to run from May 15 to May 26. Even if the BCCI adjusts the IPL window slightly forward to minimize matches played in extreme summer conditions, the ECB’s policy permits players to fulfill their full franchise contracts rather than recalling them early.
As a result, there is a strong possibility that Buttler will not pull on an England shirt again until they face New Zealand in a series consisting of three T20Is and five ODIs next September, a mere month before the commencement of the 50-over World Cup hosted jointly by South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe.
Despite the looming prospect of a lengthy hiatus from the national team, Buttler remains an integral component of England’s long-term strategic plans for the global tournament, where he is expected to resume his roles as wicketkeeper and middle-order batter. Recognizing the unique challenge posed by his extended absence from international 50-over cricket, sources have indicated that the ECB is actively considering selecting him for select England Lions fixtures—such as matches against Australia A next summer—to provide him with crucial match practice in the format between his franchise windows.
Refining the specifics of his recovery timeline during his podcast appearance, Buttler reflected on the guidance provided by his surgeons and medical specialists. "It’s a bit early to say, but I think the surgeon and the doctors were [saying] anywhere between 12 and 16 weeks from the date of your surgery is when you’re looking to get back playing again, so I’ll hopefully have a bat in my hand well before that," he shared.
While acknowledging that the January matches against South Africa in mid-January will likely "come a bit too soon," Buttler pinpointed the SA20 competition, which runs from January 17 to February 21, as a realistic target for his return to action for Durban’s Super Giants.
Aware of the physical pitfalls associated with severe soft-tissue injuries, Buttler emphasized the importance of patience and flexibility throughout his rehabilitation process. "It [rehabilitation] is never straightforward or linear, is it? You’ll probably have some really good weeks, might have a week where it pushes you back," he noted. "But I definitely don’t want to rush it. There’s so much cricket ahead next year, and obviously a few more years—hopefully—left of my career. If it takes me a week or two longer to get it right, I’m going to take that time."
Currently, the cricketer is still restricted to wearing a leg brace and has only recently begun executing "very small movements" as part of his early-stage recovery, having spent the initial week post-surgery strictly resting. Rather than dwelling on the frustration of a major injury setback, however, Buttler is actively looking for the positives during his enforced time away from the game.
"I’m trying to see all the silver linings of it," Buttler explained. "I’ve got a long period of time at home, which as cricketers we don’t always get. Obviously it’s an enforced one with an injury, which you don’t want, but it’s going to be really nice to [not only] spend a good block of time at home and get the hamstring right, but also have a block of three or four months of just getting refreshed mentally and really fit as well. [I will] come back stronger than when I left, that’s the plan."
In the meantime, England’s white-ball side has visibly struggled to cope in Buttler’s absence during the ongoing tri-series in Pakistan. The team suffered defeats in all three of their group-stage fixtures—including two matches where they surrendered commanding, seemingly unassailable positions—effectively eliminating them from contention ahead of the final. England are set to play a final dead-rubber fixture against Sri Lanka before packing their bags to travel to Australia for a grueling series consisting of three ODIs and five T20Is next month.
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