Jos Buttler disappointed after rain washes out first T20I against Pakistan

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The highly anticipated first T20I between England and Pakistan ended prematurely as unrelenting rain at Headingley Cricket Ground in Leeds forced the match to be called off without a single ball being bowled.

Scheduled for Wednesday, the match's cancellation due to persistent downpour left both teams and fans disappointed.

England's captain, Jos Buttler, expressed his frustration in a post-match interview with Sky Sports.

"We've had a really good couple of days' prep and everyone was really excited for the series," he said.

"I think just putting the England kit back on and playing cricket in England is amazing. So it's really disappointing today, not to be playing, but three matches still to look forward to," he added.

Buttler also touched on the upcoming World Cup in the Caribbean and the USA next month, noting the unique and flexible preparation required, especially for players like him who might have been involved in the IPL play-offs.

"I think that's why we felt it was good to try and get the players all together for this series," he said. "My personal opinion is there should never be any international cricket that clashes with the IPL. But my first priority at the moment is being England captain and trying to prepare as best we can for a world tournament. I've always said to Keysy [Director of cricket, Rob Key] I would definitely be coming back as England captain. He's made the call on the rest of the players."

Attention now shifts to the second T20I, slated to take place in Birmingham on May 25th at 6:30 PM (PST).

Squads:

England: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonathan Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, Mark Wood.

Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Usman Khan

Remaining matches in Pakistan vs England men’s T20I series:

May 25: Second T20I at Birmingham

May 28: Third T20I at Cardiff

May 30: Fourth T20I at The Oval