Jos Buttler has given his view on the futures of both Ben Stokes and Joe Root in England's white-ball setup, admitting he 'doesn't know' whether the pair will be involved in England's Champions Trophy campaign.
Buttler was speaking after the final match of his side's 3-1 T20I series win in the Caribbean. The ODI and T20I series took place with many of England's cross-format options unavailable due to the proximity of both the Test series against Pakistan and New Zealand. Neither Stokes nor Root have played for England in an ODI since the 2023 World Cup, with Stokes making himself unavailable for the T20 World Cup earlier this year.
Speaking after the washout in St Lucia, responding to whether Stokes and Root would be back for the Champions Trophy in February, Buttler said: "I don't know exactly. Obviously Brendon McCullum is coming in full-time and he'll be in touch with the guys. It's conversations for the next few weeks with the guys in charge. The guys here have played really well. Some of the young players have done themselves no harm at all. There are people who aren't here who will have aspirations to be in the white-ball side as well."
England next play white-ball cricket against India in January, where they will play three ODIs and five T20Is ahead of the Champions Trophy. Stokes previously stated his willingness to play white-ball cricket for England under McCullum, saying that the answer would "definitely be a yes" if the head coach asked him to return. However, he also said: "I'm not going to be too disappointed if I don't" when asked about the possibility of a white-ball recall. Root has not spoken publicly on whether he would make a return to the format.
Root is only 435 runs behind Eoin Morgan as England's leading men's ODI run-scorer, and an undisputed England great of the format, having played 171 matches since 2013. He has, however, only appeared sporadically since 2019 and has struggled for form when he has featured. He last scored an ODI century in the 2019 World Cup, and was dismissed for less than 15 five times during England's 2023 campaign.
Phil Salt 8⃣
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Adil Rashid 8⃣
Saqib Mahmood ❓
In what was their first overseas T20I series win in two years, four England players got 8 or more.
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"I can't speak for them individually, but I hope they have white-ball aspirations," said Buttler. "They're two great players. Naturally the teams will become closer in terms of personnel now the overall messaging will be coming from one man who is in charge of England cricket now. The guys who play all three formats, they won't feel it's red or white as much anymore.
"Maybe you'll see the same faces and the same guy in charge, no matter what colour the ball is. It's certainly going to give more consistency."
England trialled newer faces during the Caribbean, including Jacob Bethell, who made his international white-ball debut over the summer and will fly to New Zealand as part of the Test squad while Jamie Smith is on paternity leave. The 21-year-old impressed in both the T20I and ODI series, scoring three half-centuries across the tour.
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