Jos Buttler 'more motivated than ever' following left hamstring surgery

Jos Buttler has said he is "more motivated than ever" to regain full fitness and return to the field following surgery on the left hamstring he injured while batting in the second ODI of the recently concluded three-match series against Sri Lanka.

The England wicketkeeper-batter was limping heavily while running between the wickets as he attempted to take his side over the line at Headingley in pursuit of 322. He required medical attention and was forced to retire hurt before returning to the field to resume his innings.

His valiant effort yielded a 49-ball 69, including five boundaries and as many sixes at a strike rate of 140.81, before he was dismissed by Dilshan Madushanka while trying to keep pace with the required rate. England fell agonisingly short, eventually losing by 16 runs.

He was subsequently ruled out of the third ODI. However, his absence did not hurt the hosts, who thrashed Sri Lanka by 223 runs to clinch the series decider.

Buttler shared an Instagram story on Monday (October 12), revealing that he had undergone a "successful surgery" and had begun his road to recovery. In the post, Buttler could be seen giving a thumbs-up from a hospital bed, with his left leg in a brace.

Buttler had already been ruled out of England's squad for the ODI tri-series in Pakistan and looks set to miss the white-ball tour of Australia starting November 12.

Interestingly, both Buttler and Adil Rashid were awarded one-year central contracts by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Monday. Those deals are set to expire just before the start of England's ODI World Cup campaign in southern Africa next year. However, England men's managing director Rob Key downplayed the significance of the timing, describing it as merely a scheduling coincidence.

"We don't see it that Jos Buttler and Adil Rashid aren't going to be a part of that World Cup," Key was quoted as saying by Cricinfo. "We have them very much factored in. If they weren't a part of it, we wouldn't have been playing them since then. They're both desperate to play for England. It's the way the system works as much as anything else. There'll be decisions to be made next year."