England captain Buttler set to miss third T20 against Pakistan

Jos Buttler, 33, has exited the England squad ahead of Tuesday's T20 international against Pakistan to be with his wife, who is about to give birth to their third child. Buttler's departure comes after his match-winning 84-run performance helped England secure a 1-0 lead in the rain-affected four-game series in Birmingham on Saturday.

With Buttler out, vice-captain Moeen Ali is expected to step up and lead England in Wednesday's third T20 in Cardiff. The series, wrapping up at The Oval in London on Thursday, serves as a warm-up for the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the United States. England, the reigning champions, will begin their title defense against Scotland in Barbados on June 4th.

Fast bowler Jofra Archer might be rested for the Cardiff match, preserving him for the series finale at The Oval. Archer has struggled with elbow injuries since playing a crucial role in England's 2019 50-over World Cup victory. However, he made a strong comeback, taking two wickets in England's 23-run win over Pakistan at Edgbaston after a washout in Leeds.

In his first international game in 14 months and his first on home soil since 2020, Archer overcame a challenging first over, which cost 15 runs, to finish with impressive figures of 2-28.