Jos Buttler out for a long spell after hamstring surgery, misses Pakistan tri-series

Jos Buttler has had surgery on his left hamstring and faces a long spell out of cricket, ruling him out of England's tri-series in Pakistan and very likely their white-ball tour of Australia in November. The 36-year-old posted a photo from his hospital bed on Monday 12 October 2026, left leg in a brace and thumb up, with the caption "Succesful surgery and on the road to recovery. Feeling more motivated than ever!", CricTracker reported.

No return date has been given, and neither Buttler nor the England and Wales Cricket Board has described the procedure.

How the injury happened

Buttler hurt the hamstring in the second ODI against Sri Lanka at Headingley on 24 September. He left the field mid-innings, came back to bat and pulled up again, having made 69 off 49 balls with five sixes, The Tribune reported from ANI. A similar left hamstring injury cost him the 2024 IPL season.

What he misses

• Pakistan tri-series (18 to 31 October): England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka play in Rawalpindi and Lahore, with England's matches on 20 October (v Pakistan, Rawalpindi), 22 October (v Sri Lanka, Rawalpindi), 25 October (v Pakistan, Lahore) and 29 October (v Sri Lanka, Lahore), then a final for the top two, Geo News reported when the squad was named. Buttler was already out of that squad, which Harry Brook captains; England's touring party leaves later this week.
• Australia in November: the ECB names its squad for the white-ball tour on Tuesday 13 October, and Buttler appears certain to miss it.
• SA20: his Durban Super Giants deal for the league starting on 17 January 2027 is now in doubt.

A new contract on the same day

On Monday the ECB also confirmed one-year extensions for Buttler and leg-spinner Adil Rashid. Buttler's deal now ends before the 2027 50-over World Cup in South Africa, a sign that his place in the side will be judged again after he recovers. Before the injury he was in strong form: after a quiet T20 World Cup in India (87 runs as England reached the semi-finals) he scored 466 runs in nine white-ball internationals, led Manchester Super Giants to the Hundred title and became the first man to reach 15,000 T20 runs. Our story on England's 2026-27 central contracts has the full list.

What it means for Pakistan fans

England arrive without their most experienced white-ball batter and without Jofra Archer, who has been rested, so Pakistan face a younger side led by Brook with Joe Root, Ben Duckett and Sam Curran among the senior names. Fixtures, squads and results are on our living Pakistan tri-series page and Pakistan vs England 2026 page; tickets for the Lahore and Rawalpindi games are covered in our ticket guide.