'My family and I have sacrificed a lot for cricket' - Jos Buttler hints at skipping a few India Tests and Ashes 2021

Jos Buttler is an extremely important player to the England team’s plan for the Ashes this winter. However, after pulling out of the second leg of the Indian Premier League 2021 in the United Arab Emirates, Buttler seems to have hinted at his non-availability for the Ashes as well. On Saturday, it was announced that the Lancashire wicketkeeper-batsman will not go for the IPL 2021 second leg, as he and his wife, Lousie are expecting their second child.

Now, the issue with the scheduling for the rest of the year is to do with the continuous bubble-to-bubble transfer. Had Buttler gone to the IPL, he would have had to spend two months straight in a biosecure bubble, firstly for the IPL and then for the T20 World Cup, which starts within a week after the cash-rich league. 

Throw in the Ashes 2021-22 after that, it means that the wicketkeeper-batsman would be away from home for more than four months straight. “One of the challenges is working out where the line is where you say I can’t do that. I’ve sacrificed a lot for cricket and my wife and family have sacrificed a lot,” Buttler told The Times newspaper.

Jos Buttler expresses his concerns about COVID protocols in Australia

Buttler acknowledged that the players do have a right to decide whether they would play in a tournament or not. “You have to be open to saying no. It would be incredibly disappointing if some players feel like they can’t do it, but we’re in a world at the moment where that is a possibility,” the England player added. 

Apart from missing the IPL, Buttler could also miss the last phase of the ongoing Test series between England and India at home. His performance in the first two matches hasn’t been up to the mark as well. Speaking about the Ashes, the main issue which the England players were going to face was the fact that Australia had said that they wouldn’t allow families to come down.

Due to the strict policy of COVID control in Australia, rules have been stricter. Now, Cricket Australia (CA) and England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have noted that they will do everything possible to make the Ashes happen. Buttler stated that his decision around going to the Ashes will come once he gets more information about the situation there.

“COVID is incredibly challenging for everyone and Australia has a very strict policy in how they’ve tried to deal with it. Living for long periods in bio-bubbles was a further complication. Until we get more information about what it (the Australia tour) might look like, it’s impossible to know what decision you’re making,” Buttler added.