England’s Jos Buttler walks off after being caught by Afghanistan’s Rahmat Shah off the bowling of Azmatullah Omarzai at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, Pakistan on February 26, 2025. — Reuters
Wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler stepped down as England’s limited-overs captain on Friday, days after a bunch stage exit from the ICC Champions Trophy.
After a five-wicket defeat by arch-rivals Australia of their Champions Trophy opener, England had been eradicated on Wednesday following their eight-run loss in opposition to match debutants Afghanistan in Lahore, Pakistan.
He made the announcement through the pre-match press convention together with his coach Brendon McCullum forward of group’s last ICC Champions Trophy match in opposition to England.
Buttler will lead the facet for the ultimate time within the upcoming match in opposition to South Africa in Karachi.
Buttler, who succeeded Eoin Morgan as captain in June 2022, guided England to a T20 World Cup victory in Australia later that 12 months. Nonetheless, the group’s fortunes have declined sharply since, with being with out finals in three consecutive ICC tournaments: the 2023 50-over World Cup, the 2024 T20 World Cup, and the 2025 Champions Trophy.
“I’m going to stand down as England captain,” Buttler mentioned. “It’s the right decision for me and the right decision for the team. Hopefully, somebody else who can come in alongside Baz [Brendon McCullum] will take the team to where it needs to be.”
Reflecting on his tenure, Buttler expressed disappointment however acknowledged the necessity for change. “It was quite clear that this tournament was going to be important results-wise and for my captaincy,” he mentioned.
“Two losses and being out of the tournament [was] a bit of a hangover of tournaments before. I’d just reached the end of the road for me and my captaincy, which is a shame, and I’m sad about that.”
Buttler additionally spoke about his preliminary optimism working with head coach Brendon McCullum, who joined the setup not too long ago. “With Brendon coming in, I was really excited to work closely alongside him and hope for a very quick turnaround and to take the team forward. But it’s not quite worked out that way, so just feels like the right time for me and the team to have a change.”
Harry Brook, Buttler’s vice-captain, is broadly thought to be the frontrunner to take over the management position. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is predicted to announce a successor in subsequent few weeks.
The 34-year-old had led England to their second Twenty20 World Cup title in 2022, however their performances have dipped since then with the facet failing to retain their T20 or ODI World Cup crowns.
Final 12 months, Australian coach Matthew Mott stepped down after England’s T20 World Cup semi-final exit in opposition to eventual champions India with former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum tasked with reviving the nation’s limited-overs fortunes.
— With further enter from Reuters
