Captaincy questions arise on Buttler after another ICC failure following their dismal 50 over and 20 over World Cup campaign.
Captaincy questions linger over Jos Buttler after England slumped to another early exit in the Champions trophy.
After England lost against Afghanistan by eight runs on Wednesday night, they were eliminated from the Champions Trophy, and Buttler has acknowledged that he will “consider all possibilities” regarding his future as the white-ball captain. In 10 white-ball games this year, it was their ninth defeat.
Although Buttler’s first ICC tournament as captain was the 2022 T20 World Cup, England has subsequently done poorly. They were crushed by India in the 2024 T20 World Cup semifinals, lost six of nine games at the 2023 ODI World Cup, and now have one group match left in the Champions Trophy after consecutive losses to Australia and Afghanistan.
Following last year’s T20 World Cup, Matthew Mott was fired as England’s coach, and Buttler acknowledged that he was worried about his own employment at the time. Since then, he has led the club on a difficult tour to India, where they have only won once in eight games. Following Wednesday night’s match, he seemed to acknowledge that his tenure as manager was probably coming to an end.
“It’s tough to say, stood here right now, and I don’t want to make any sort of emotional statements,” Buttler told Sky Sports. “But I think it’s fair to say that you’ve got to consider all possibilities.
“I’ve enjoyed it [the captaincy]. I’ve seen lots of people say it doesn’t sit well with me, but I do enjoy it. I enjoy the challenge. Obviously, I don’t enjoy losing games of cricket and the results. And, of course, when they’re not going well, you do look at yourself in the mirror and say, ‘am I part of the problem or am I part of the solution?’ I think that’s what I’ve got to work out.”
Buttler admitted at his post-match press conference that his future may not be in his own hands. “You [the press] are probably not the first people I’d discuss that with,” he said. “I’ll take a little bit of time to work out, personally, what I think is right, and obviously the guys at the top are in charge, and they’ll have their own views as well.
“I enjoy leading. Even before, when I wasn’t captain, I’d like to think of myself as a leader in the team. But results are tough, and they weigh heavy at times. Of course, you want to be leading a winning team, and we haven’t been that for a while now, so obviously that brings some difficult moments.”