Why McCullum is sweating over Buttler's fitness

'Hopefully, he will be back from his injuries soon. The priority will be the Champions Trophy, so we are going to make sure he is ready for that.'

Former England cricketer Moeen Ali said that head coach Brendon McCullum would help white-ball skipper Jos Buttler bring out the best in him.

Moeen, who last played for England in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024, announced his retirement from the the international game on Sunday. Moeen believed that the time was right for him after understanding that he was no longer in consideration for the side's future assignments.

With Buttler sidelined with a calf injury, Phil Salt will take the reins of the England team In the upcoming T20I series against Australia and a doubtful starter for the following ODI series.

'I think Brendon, it helps the fact he has been there, done it, and the way he played. I think it can be quite difficult if a coach says 'go do this', but they never did. Brendon brings that sort of energy and I think it will be great for Jos more than anything,' Moeen was quoted by Sky Sports as saying.

'Jos has so much on his plate with batting, wicketkeeping, captaining. I think Brendon will just take the pressure off and he can just play and captain on the field. Brendon will be more in control I think,' he added.

McCullum has meanwhile heaped praise on the 34-year-old Buttler saying that he has nothing to prove.

'I think Jos has had an unbelievable career. If he were to retire tomorrow, he goes down as arguably the greatest white-ball player England has ever had. He has nothing left to prove. I want him to get into a space in the next few years where he isn't trying to protect anything.

'He just goes out there and absolutely loves playing for England, loves leading the white-ball side and is able to get the most out of the talent around him. That is my responsibility to keep pushing him towards that and keep reaffirming that message to him,' McCullum was quoted by Sky Sports as saying.

'Hopefully, he will be back from his injuries soon. The priority will be the Champions Trophy, so we are going to make sure he is ready for that. It gives us some time to spark those conversations and formulate those structures and plans to marry up our beliefs and the language we are going to use with the team to get the most out of what sits in that dressing room,' he added.

The first T20I match will be played in Southampton on September 11. The second match will be played on September 13 in Cardiff. The last match of the T20I series will take place on September 15 in Manchester.

England T20I squad: Phil Salt (C), Jofra Archer, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Sam Curran, Josh Hull, Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Dan Mousley, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley, John Turner. (ANI)