England to do without Buttler
Tourists opt to take no risks with "bad split" on left hand
Last Updated: February 12, 2012 1:18pm
Jos Buttler: Had pushed himself into the frame for a first cap with some fine displays for the Lions
Jos Buttler will miss the first one-dayer of the series against Pakistan because of split webbing in his left hand.
The Somerset wicketkeeper-batsman suffered the injury while playing for the England Lions against Sri Lanka A, on the same day he was named in England's squad for the four-match series in the United Arab Emirates.
Buttler was forced to sit out Friday's warm-up game against the Lions at the Zayed Stadium and will not be considered for selection on Monday.
"Unfortunately, he's not going to make it," skipper Alastair Cook announced on the eve of the fixture.
"It's obviously quite a bad split of the webbing, so he's unavailable for selection - obviously for this game, and then we'll see how it heals for the next 24 to 48 hours.
"It's a big cut in the webbing, and the risk of it doing it again is quite high so soon after when he first did it."
Outstanding performances
The injury is a major blow for the uncapped Buttler, who had pushed himself firmly in the frame for a place in England's 50-over side with several fine performances against Sri Lanka's second string.
"We hadn't got that far into selection when he did it, in the last game in Sri Lanka," Cook added. "So we knew from a while back it was going to be touch and go.
"He put in some outstanding performances for the Lions, and put his name right in the hat."
Buttler's Somerset team-mate Craig Kieswetter is set to bat at six following the decision to move Kevin Pietersen to the top of the order.
The second match takes place at the same venue on Wednesday before the two nations move on to Dubai to complete the series. England round off their tour with three Twenty20 internationals against Pakistan.
