England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler has been ruled out the fifth Ashes Test in Hobart

The Ashes
England

England’s Jos Buttler has been ruled out the fifth Ashes Test in Hobart because of a finger injury.

Captain Joe Root confirmed the news after the tourists prevented a potential series whitewash by drawing the fourth match in Sydney.

“Jos Buttler is going to be going home,” Root said at the post-match presentation.

Australia v England – 2021/22 Ashes Series – Fourth Test – Day Three – Sydney Cricket Ground
Jos Buttler (left) battled bravely for England in the fourth Test despite a finger injury (Jason O’Brien/PA)

“It’s quite a bad injury, so it’s a really disappointing shame for him and for the team but it’s part and parcel of playing Test cricket, sometimes you’ve got to take these things.

“And the way he stood up throughout the rest of the game having taken that and put in for the boys is testament to his character and how much he cares about playing for this team.”

England survive nail-biting finish to draw fourth Ashes Test with Australia in Sydney

After thumping defeats in Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne, England stopped the rot in the tensest possible fashion at the SCG, finishing nine down and with number 11 James Anderson fending off the final six balls.

A testing series for the tourists concludes next week in Tasmania, starting on Friday.

Root said: “It’s been a difficult tour until now, we’ve obviously found it tough at times but one thing I’m really proud of is the determination, the character, the way we stood up today and found a way to get a result out of this game.

Joe Root's England have prevented an Ashes whitewash
Joe Root’s England have prevented an Ashes whitewash (Jason O’Brien/PA)

“I said at the end of the last game we wanted to try and put some pride back into the badge and give something for the guys back (home) to hold on to. The way we went about things in this game, I think we did that in spades.

“There’s still a long way to go as a team and we’ve got to make some big improvements, we know that.

“A number of guys have had some quite difficult injuries to play through and have shown a great amount of heart and character to find a way through this Test match and get us a draw from it.

“It would be nice to be able to front up again next week and hopefully go one better.”

Jos Buttler

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