PAK vs ENG: Jos Buttler to miss third T20 for birth of child

England captain Jos Buttler will miss their third T20 International against Pakistan for the birth of his third child, the team said ahead of Tuesday's match in Cardiff.

Buttler has returned home to be with his wife after leading England to a 23-run win at Edgbaston on Saturday, which gave them a 1-0 lead in the four-match series following the washout of the first game in Leeds.

"Jos Buttler is set to miss our third IT20 match vs Pakistan as his wife Louise is expecting the birth of their third child," England Cricket said in a statement.

All-rounder Moeen Ali will captain England in Buttler's absence. The team did not say whether Buttler would return in time to play in the final match of the series at The Oval on Thursday.

The 33-year-old, Buttler, played a captain's knock and scored 84 runs on 51 balls with the help of eight fours and three sixes in the second T20I match. During the process, he also completed 3,000 runs in T20I cricket, becoming only the ninth player in the shorter format to do so.

Regarding the weather in Cardiff following Leeds, it is currently raining periodically, but two hours prior to the evening match, the weather should be clear.

Meanwhile, it is very crucial for Pakistan to make a strong comeback in today’s match, otherwise they would lose the series. 

Two changes may be made in the lineup of the Pakistan team for today's crucial match, as all-rounder Shadab Khan and Saim Ayub are likely to be dropped, while Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, or Naseem Shah might be included in their instead.