England National Cricket Team did not perform as expected in the tri-series featuring Pakistan and Sri Lanka. They lost three out of the three games in the series so far. The Three Lions missed one of their key players, Jos Buttler, in the middle order, as the former captain provided an update on his return date to the action.

The Three Lions have been in brilliant form until the tri-series; Harry Brook’s side were unbeaten in their last two series and completely outplaying their opponents. But in the subcontinent, they have failed to win games as they failed to defend a target of 430 runs against Sri Lanka, and now they play a dead rubber game tomorrow.

"It is a bit early to say": Jos Buttler on return date

While speaking on the For the Lover of Cricket podcast, Jos Buttler revealed his return date to action, as he has been missing out on the game due to a hamstring injury he picked up during the home series against Sri Lanka. He went to surgery, and he said that it will take a long time.

"It is a bit early to say, but I think the surgeon and the doctors were [saying] anywhere between 12 and 16 weeks from the date of your surgery is when you are looking to get back playing again, so I will hopefully have a bat in my hand well before that," Buttler said while speaking on his For the Love of Cricket podcast (as quoted by Cricinfo).

Jos Buttler believes that he will not rush back from hamstring surgery and may not play for England again until September 2027. Buttler has stated that he is a doubt for England's ODIs against South Africa in January and may not play an international match until a month before the 2027 World Cup, which means he will also miss the New Zealand series.

"[In] January time, there's some England games in South Africa; they might come a bit too soon, but SA20 is probably a goal that is in the back of my mind," Buttler said.

"It [rehabilitation] is never straightforward or linear, is it? You'll probably have some really good weeks, might have a week where it pushes you back," he added. "But I definitely don't want to rush it. There's so much cricket ahead next year, and obviously a few more years - hopefully - left of my career. If it takes me a week or two longer to get it right, I'm going to take that time."

The former England captain stated he has been making some movements but is still wearing a leg brace as part of the rehabilitation. He feels that the enforced injury has made him spend some time at home and will take nearly 3 to 4 months to get back to his best of mental state.

He further added, "Obviously it's an enforced one with an injury, which you don't want, but it's going to be really nice to [not only] spend a good block of time at home and get the hamstring right, but also have a block of three or four months of just getting refreshed mentally and really fit as well. [I will] come back stronger than when I left, that's the plan."