Jos Buttler's T20 Blast availability confirmed, Liam Livingstone appointed Lancashire captain

England's white-ball captain will be available in 10 group matches and the entire knockout stage, should Lancashire progress

Jos Buttler will make his return to Lancashire colours in the Roses T20 clash at Headingley on June 1.

England's white-ball captain, who has just returned from representing Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, will be available for 10 group matches as well as the entire knockout stage, should Lancashire progress.

Buttler, who signed a three-year contract extension with Lancashire at the end of last season, has scored 1,226 runs at 37.15 in 41 T20 outings for Lightning.

However, due to England commitments, his appearances have been sporadic in recent seasons.

He has played just nine times in the Blast since the beginning of 2018 and will be looking to re-capture some of the form he exhibited in the 2017 T20 Blast, where he scored 451 runs at 50.11 in 12 innings.

^{Buttler has only made nine appearances in the Blast in five years [Sarah Ansell/Getty Images]}

Buttler, who won the Blast with Lancashire in 2015, said: "I'm really looking forward to pulling on the Red Rose once again and representing Lancashire Lightning in this summer's Vitality Blast.

"To have the opportunity to play so many matches in this year's Blast is really exciting for me and it's a chance to really help the team after coming so close in last year’s final."

Lancashire head coach, Glen Chapple, spoke of his delight at Buttler's return: "We are excited to have Jos available for such a large part of our T20 campaign this summer, it is a huge boost to the squad.

"Jos' availability will strengthen an already strong batting line-up, whilst his experience as England white-ball captain and a double World Cup winner will be invaluable to have around the dressing room."

^{Livingstone will captain Lancashire [Stu Forster/Getty Images]}

Fellow England international Liam Livingstone, meanwhile, has been named as Lancashire's captain for the remainder of the Blast, deputising for the injured Keaton Jennings.

Livingstone, who previously captained Lancashire in all formats in 2018, recently returned from the IPL and will be available to face Leicestershire on May 25.

"I love playing for Lancashire and I was already really excited to get back to Emirates Old Trafford with the opportunity to be available for the majority of this summer's Blast," he said.

"To now be able to lead the team, is going to be really special for me. Obviously, it is something I have done before in 2018 but I feel like I have changed so much as both a person and a player in those five years and feel ready to step into the role again with much more experience this time around."