England skipper Jos Buttler said on Thursday he hopes his injured Twenty20 squad will rise to the challenge of meeting a strong Pakistani team on their first tour of the country in 17 years. Security vulnerabilities have meant Pakistan has struggled to attract visiting parties since an attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in 2009, but tours have slowly resumed in recent years – with England last. This seven-game run is seen as a preparation for the Twenty20 World Cup to be held in Australia next month, and Buttler hoped his young squad would build up well for the mega event.
“We are looking forward to the tough challenge and to be hardened for the World Cup after this series,” said Buttler, who will miss the first few games to fully recover from a calf injury.
Two of England’s World Cup squad members – Liam Livingstone and Chris Jordan – are also missing this series as they recover from ankle and finger injuries respectively, while test skipper Ben Stokes was given a rest.
Buttler said he hoped the injuries would give a chance to other players hungry to showcase their talent.
“Obviously the main goal for everyone is to appear fully ready for Australia,” Buttler said of the event, which will be held from October 16 to November 13.
He said seven of his team – David Willey, Phil Salt, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Harry Brook, Luke Wood and Ben Duckett – had played in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) this year and would know the local conditions.
“Many of our players played in the PSL and shared the positive experience of being here and how much the public loves the game,” said Buttler.
“We know Pakistan is a great team. We are looking forward to challenging ourselves against them and I expect to see great cricket.”
The English skipper also hoped his side would perform well in honor of Queen Elizabeth II, who died last week.
“Of course, with the passing of Her Majesty the Queen, we were deeply saddened. We have seen the reactions in England.
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“We hope to honor her as a T20 team in our own way and play in a way to do that.”
The first four matches are in Karachi on September 20, 22, 23 and 25 and the next three in Lahore on September 28, 30 and October 2.
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