England limited-overs head coach Matthew Mott has confirmed that they were not willing to take any risk as far as managing Jos Buttler is concerned in the ongoing seven-match T20I series against Pakistan. Buttler is currently recovering from the calf strain and hasn’t played in the first four matches of the series.

Mott said that Buttler could return for the last two matches of the series if he regains his fitness ahead of the sixth game.

“With regard to Jos, he’s still a while off, he’s not a player we want to take a risk on at this stage, so close to the World Cup, and it was a reasonably significant injury that he had,” Mott said at the press conference following Pakistan’s series-leveling victory in the fourth T20I.

“So, he’s champing at the bit for a game, but we’ll just try and see how we go and maybe in the last game or two we might give him a chance,” added Mott.

Meanwhile, the series is currently tied at 2-2 and Moeen Ali is leading England in place of Jos Buttler.

The fourth match of the series was a humdinger as Pakistan went on to win by three runs. The match looked done and dusted as England were 130-7 while chasing 167 but Liam Dawson scored 34 runs off just 17 balls to get his team close to the target.

However, England could not get over the line when Shan Masood effected the run-out on the second ball of the final over.

“Taking wickets in the powerplay put us on the back foot, it took a really good partnership to get us back in it,” Mott said. “Liam’s knock was special. It took everyone by surprise, we didn’t think in our wildest dreams we’d get in that position. It just shows in T20 cricket you’ve never got it done.”

The fifth T20I of the series will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on Wednesday.