England also have to deal with injuries to Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow ahead of the fifth Ashes Test
Buttler suffered the injury while keeping on the second day at the SCG, and struggled to grip the bat while making a duck in England’s first innings.
The injury nevertheless completes a desperate campaign for Buttler, who made 107 runs at 15.28 across the four Tests, with his most significant contribution being an innings of 26 from 207 balls in England’s failed attempt to save the second Test at Adelaide.
The ECB confirmed that Buttler will fly back to the UK on Monday and will be assessed on his return by the ECB Medical Team. A further update is expected later this week on his rehabilitation period.
“A lot of the guys could see a number of players hurting physically and still putting in a huge amount, and in many ways it lifted the rest of the group,” Root said. “I’m really proud of the way that they stood up at times, clearly in a lot of pain to produce for England.
“There was clearly a bit of pain relief required. It’s not just that, but also the psychological element. For them to perform the way they did shows a huge amount of character.”
Andrew Miller is UK editor of ESPNcricinfo. @miller_cricket