Harry Brook to succeed Jos Buttler as England's next captain? Nasser Hussain weighs in

Amid a turbulent run of England in white-ball cricket, former cricketer Nasser Hussain has come up with a replacement for Jos Buttler. Speculations are abuzz about Jos Buttler leaving the captaincy after the team's dismal run at marquee events like the 2024 T20 World Cup and most recently the ICC Champions Trophy. After England was eliminated from the ODI tournament in Pakistan with a defeat against Afghanistan at the group stage, Buttler himself appeared unsure about his tenure. Meanwhile, Nasser Hussain has backed Harry Brook as his preferred candidate to take over the captaincy mantle.

Nasser Hussain positions Harry Brook as England's next white-ball captain

Nasser Hussain opined that Brook could likely be the replacement of Jos Buttler as England’s next white-ball captain but cautioned against overburdening the young batter. England’s ICC tournament struggles continued as they crashed out of the ICC Champions Trophy following a defeat to Afghanistan, putting Buttler’s leadership under scrutiny. The England skipper himself acknowledged the need for self-reflection regarding his role after the early exit. In an excerpt from his writing for a daily, Hussain suggested that it might be time for England to move on from Buttler, naming Brook as a potential successor. However, he admitted that England’s captaincy options are currently quite limited.

"Harry Brook would be my choice as England’s next limited-overs captain now it's clearly time to move on from Jos Buttler," Hussain said. "If you're having to think about being England captain, as Buttler said he would be after Champions Trophy elimination earlier this week, you probably know you’re done."

Harry Brook has previously led England in ODIs, having captained the side during a series against Australia last year. Hussain highlighted a key challenge in handing Brook the captaincy, his regular presence in the Test team. With England facing a hectic red-ball schedule this year, he stressed the importance of managing Brook’s workload carefully to avoid placing excessive pressure on the young batter.

"England are trying to go in a direction where they're playing a lot of their Test players in the limited-overs sides. Do they want that with the captain as well? That is another question. The months ahead are very important in red-ball cricket and that would be something to consider if Brook took over."

"I enjoyed watching him captain last year, whether it be in the Hundred or against Australia, when he got a hundred in one of the games - which suggested he was quite happy balancing the two roles. But you’ve still got to be careful. You don’t want to be weighing down a very talented young player with it all," said Hussain.