LONDON: Uncapped Essex wicket-keeper/batter Michael Pepper has been called up to England’s One-day International squad to tour West Indies and, in the absence of injured captain Jos Buttler, could open with Phil Salt, the ECB said on Monday.

Pepper, 26, was Essex’s leading scorer in this year’s Vitality Blast and hit 32 sixes, the most of any batter.

Salt, who is also a wicket-keeper-batter, averages 32.5 from his 24 ODIs and almost 35 in T20s at a strike rate of 165.

Buttler, who missed last month’s series against Australia with a calf injury, will not play in the ODI series starting later this month after a setback in his recovery but is expected to feature in the subsequent T20 series.

In Buttler’s absence, all-rounder Liam Livingstone will be England’s stand-in captain in the three-match ODI series which begins on Oct 31.

England travel to the Caribbean next week while Buttler will join the team in Barbados ahead of the five-match T20 series, scheduled from Nov 9.

Squad: Jos Buttler (captain) (T20 series only), Jofra Archer, Jacob Bethell, Jafer Chohan, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone, Michael Pepper, Saqib Mahmood, Dan Mousley, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, John Turner.

Published in Dawn, October 22nd, 2024