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Jos Buttler. (Photo Source: Twitter)

England white-ball captain Jos Buttler expressed his displeasure with the financial capabilities of various T20 franchises, which entice players to choose those tournaments over representing their national side in international games. He admitted his disappointment over not being able to field the strongest possible team due to the players being unavailable. 

The England Cricket Board (ECB) recently announced the squad for their ODI and T20I series against Bangladesh, and there were several big names missing from the squad as the players opted to play in the different T20 leagues around the world. The likes of Alex Hales, Liam Dawson, and Sam Billings will be missing from the England squad as they will be fulfilling their lucrative stints in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

Apart from these players, Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone are also missing from the squad due to their respective injury concerns. Buttler vented his frustration about the topic but insisted on not being the type of captain who would stop them from playing for the national team.

It’s quite a unique situation: Buttler

Buttler also acknowledged the difference in pay that the players themselves can experience while playing for England as compared to playing for any T20 league around the world. The English captain understood the situation but was not shy of speaking openly about it either. He stated England’s tight schedule as one of the  reasons behind the players opting out of international cricket.

“It’s quite a unique situation. It’s the time we are in. The way the games are scheduled, I can sort of understand it both ways. As an England captain, on the one hand, you wish that everyone would see playing for England as the main thing and grab any opportunity available. But there are bigger things at play as well. The discrepancy between what people can earn playing for England and not playing for England is quite large, so that’s a factor that must be considered,” Buttler was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.

The defending champions of the ODI World Cup lost their previous series to South Africa and will now tour Bangladesh without a few of their regular starters.