England will be without Jos Buttler and perhaps Eoin Morgan when they face Australia in the final T20 on Tuesday in a game that sees the No1 ICC ranking at stake.
Buttler’s brilliant 77 from 54 balls helped England to a series win with a game to spare on Sunday, but he has left the biosecure bubble at the Ageas Bowl to spend time with his family.
Morgan could also be unavailable after dislocating his finger while fielding a fierce drive from Marcus Stoinis in Australia’s innings. He left the field for a few balls and later batted, but was due to have a scan on the injury on Monday morning.
If Morgan was unavailable, Moeen Ali would likely captain England for the first time in an international with regular vice-captain Buttler also away.
Buttler’s absence will see Tom Banton move from No4 to his preferred opening position, while Sam Billings will come into the side for the first time this series. If Morgan is unavailable, reserve Liam Livingstone could get his first cap for more than three years.
As a Test regular, Buttler spent two months in the bubble with just a couple of days’ break in late July and again in late August. He did not see his wife and 16-month-old daughter during that second break so was granted leave by England to spend time with them after a request.
Subject to passing another test for Covid-19, Buttler will rejoin the group in Manchester ahead of the three-match ODI series against Australia, which begins on Friday.
England moved top of the T20 rankings with Sunday's win but must pull off a series sweep to retain their position at No1 ahead of Australia.
