England's run at the ICC Champions Trophy could cost Jos Buttler his captaincy

Winning is the only option as England braces for the match against Afghanistan at the ICC Champions Trophy in Rawalpindi. After the Australia vs South Africa match, the clash between the table toppers, ended in a stalemate, England landed in a clear do-or-die situation. The Three Lions started their campaign with a defeat as Australia chased down 351 with five wickets remaining. Now, as they set out for their second group-stage match, England has qualification on the line. A defeat against Afghanistan would result in a virtual elimination for the English. Contrastingly, two wins from here, against the Afghans and South Africa respectively, would land them safely in the semi-final with no reliance on net run rate calculations.

England’s ouster from the ICC Champions Trophy could mark the end of Jos Buttler's captaincy

Why England vs Afghanistan is a pivotal game in Group B is understood. However, the explanation of why there's contention over who’s the favorite for victory lies in England’s terrible white-ball run following the 2023 ODI World Cup. Since the ODI tournament, where England ended up among the bottom teams, the team has not won any ODI series. The phase also involved a similarly disappointing performance at the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Clearly, the portfolio of Jos Buttler as England’s white-ball captain isn’t reflecting any records worth praise. Now that Brendon McCullum, originally their red-ball coach, has transitioned into the all-format coach, England would have hoped for a better turnaround than their 0-3 washout against India just ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy.

At the ICC Champions Trophy, England faced Australia in the campaign opener, with the Kangaroos missing their match-winners like Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc. England banked on Australia’s weakened bowling line-up as they charged up to a 351-run total, fired by a 165-run knock from Ben Duckett. However, when the chase arrived, English bowlers performed worse than their counterparts in yellow. Unable to break partnerships and extract timely wickets, England let Josh Inglis race to a match-winning century as Australia smashed the record for the highest successful chase in an ICC tournament.

Now, their entire campaign relies on the tussle against Afghanistan. Even if they manage to claim this one, an uphill battle awaits. England’s last group-stage match is against South Africa, currently the favorite for semi-final qualification. The Proteas, in sublime form under Temba Bavuma, claimed a 107-run win over Afghanistan to open their Champions Trophy campaign. With a healthy net run rate, South Africa is almost settled into the next stage despite the washout against Australia. Jos Buttler has a task cut out, as the team needs to first beat South Africa before they can aim at the ICC Champions Trophy against the likes of India and New Zealand, the semi-finalists from Group A.

Meanwhile, Jos Buttler came out clearly as he expressed that his captaincy might be on the line. Under Buttler, England disappointed at the 2023 ODI World Cup and the 2024 T20 World Cup. The team similarly struggled to claim victories in bilateral series. The recent season, moreover, saw Jos Buttler missing out on plenty of action due to his recurring calf injury. Buttler, consequently, expressed that it is not an ideal situation for the team currently, as he hopes to keep his mind focused on the positives that could arise from here on.

"I think any time as an England captain you want to perform, you want to perform well and you want to lead your team to winning games of cricket. We haven’t been doing that enough," Buttler said. "But as soon as you catch yourself thinking about any negative things, you just try to completely forget that and focus on all of the positive things that could go right and where you can take the team. I’m very much focused on that," he added.