Jos Buttler to miss T20 series as McCullum reaffirms long-term captaincy

First, the short-term pain for England's cricket captain Jos Buttler: He will miss the Twenty20 series against Australia – and possibly also the One-Day Series due to an injury to his right calf.

In the long run, the situation should be much better for arguably England's greatest white-ball player of all time, after Buttler received a glowing recommendation from the man who will soon become his coach.

Brendon McCullum confirmed on Thursday that he would keep Buttler as England captain for T20 and ODI matches when the New Zealander takes charge of the teams early next year, having decided this week to combine that role with managing the Test side.

At times, Buttler seemed overwhelmed by the responsibility of captaining England as the ODI side woefully defended their World Cup title in India by 50 overs. The same was true of the T20 World Cup, where England were again reigning champions but disappointed before being crushed by India in the semi-finals.

McCullum wants Buttler to refocus, realise how good he is and enjoy the last few years of his career, and he is determined that he wants to do the same as captain.

“What I want from Jos,” McCullum said in his first press conference since announcing his dual role, “is for him to enjoy the next few years. If he were to retire today, he would go down in history as probably the best white ball player England has ever produced.”

“He's got the opportunity to enjoy the next three, four years, however long he plays, as captain of the England national team. Nothing to protect. Getting the best out of the guys around him, continuing to face danger, playing with a smile on his face and trying to do something really cool that he can look back on and say, 'Man, I've enjoyed the last few years.' That's going to be my job, to keep pushing him in that direction.”