No Emotional Decisions But Must Consider all Possibilities: Buttler on Captaincy

Is the loss to Afghanistan the last time Jos Buttler will captain England in limited overs cricket? That is a question which was asked multiple times in the press conference after the loss of the team to Afghanistan in ICC Champions Trophy 2025 which ensured they remained out of the semifinals.

This early exit has compounded their recent issues with English limited overs cricket. The strife that the team has faced after winning the 2019 ODI World Cup and 2022 T20 World Cup is quite remarkable. Even worse, they placed seventh in the 2023 ODI World Cup and suffered a humiliating semifinal defeat against India during the 2024 T20 World Cup. Instead, England shifted from Bairstow, Ali, Topley, Curran, and Jordan to younger players for the limited series. These changes were accompanied by the stepping in of McCullum as the full time coach.

As McCullum partnered with Stokes in the Test format, there was hope as to whether the Bazball tactics will be useful in the 50 and 20 over formats, but as was the case against India in the series and the Champions trophy, England seemed to have more questions than answers.

Following a substantial 4-1 loss against India during the T20 matches and a complete sweep in the ODIs, England arrived at the Champions Trophy. They made their mark on the score board by posting an initial 351 runs in their first match against Australia. Although they lost the match, they showed a lot of promise in their final match against Afghanistan. Even though they lost the match, they showed potential skills. However, England put Judy’s captaincy position into question.

Following their loss, Buttler revealed in the conference that he will have to change his approach moving forward. “Yeah, I think obviously the results aren’t where they need to be and I personally need to consider all possibilities. Like I said, we need to accomplish getting back to England being a powerhouse in white ball formats of cricket. And I think I’ve got to work out personally am I part of the problem or am I part of the solution?

“Right now, I will not be making any emotional decisions. You’re definitely not the first people I would talk to about that. Take time to reflect on what I believe is the correct approach. And of course, the people in charge will have their own opinions as well. It’s clear, as I said, we need to get the team back where it needs to be within the cricketing world – not just competing, but winning.”

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Buttler’s individual performance has also come under scrutiny. He has played eight ODI innings since the end of the 2023 World Cup, with a highest score of 58 not out, averaging 30.57 for his 214 runs. In T20Is after the 2024 T20 World Cup, he has scored 271 runs over nine innings with two fifties, but with an equally unimpressive average of 30.11. It’s clear that Buttler has not been at his best with the bat lately.

“I began my innings poorly and flubbed a few early balls and then managed to get myself to almost a run a ball – 38 or whatever I got out for,” Buttler recounted his innings against Afghanistan. “So I got myself into a nice position again, and I just haven’t been able to convert those positions over the past few innings I have played in an England shirt, and that is obviously a frustration. And like I said, I think sometimes at my best I am one of the best players in the world which is what the team needs from me and unfortunately haven’t been delivering that.”

On his captaincy in the last few years, Buttler said, “It’s had it’s moments for sure. I know lots of people think it doesn’t sit well with me being captain and that kind of thing but I really do enjoy it, I enjoy leading. Even before when I wasn’t captain I would like to think of myself as a leader in the team. But, results are tough and they weigh heavy at times.” And, of course, For more Read About latest Blogs; Click Here