ICC Champions Trophy: Jos Buttler avoids hasty decision after disappointing exit

England has endured a horrific white-ball season, with Jos Buttler at the center as the team's captain. The batter, who missed a significant part of the season due to a recurring calf injury, made his comeback during England's tour of India. The tour consisted of five T20Is and three ODIs. Out of the eight fixtures, England lost seven. The defeats included a 0-3 whitewash in the ODI series, just ahead of their ICC Champions Trophy campaign. Their struggles continued as England arrived in Pakistan for the marquee event. Two matches into the Champions Trophy, England was eliminated. The Englishmen suffered an eight-run defeat at the hands of Afghanistan in a Group B fixture that was a do-or-die match for both teams.

England eliminated from ICC Champions Trophy, scrutiny intensifies over the captaincy of Jos Buttler

Returning to action during England's tour of India, Jos Buttler has now recorded a forgettable stat as the team's captain. The batter's run as England’s white-ball skipper has extended to seven consecutive defeats. The biggest blow of them all, however, came against Afghanistan, as it sealed England’s exit from the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. This marked their second early elimination from a 50-over ICC tournament in the last 18 months.

England opened their ICC Champions Trophy campaign against Australia, who were without key players like Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc. Batting first, England started well, posting a total of 351, fueled by Ben Duckett’s 165-run knock. However, the bowling department let the game slip out of England’s hands. Josh Inglis and Alex Carey guided Australia to victory despite senior players like skipper Steve Smith and Travis Head departing cheaply. As Inglis scored a century, Australia registered the highest successful run chase in an ICC tournament.

Following the first setback, England's path to qualification became a simple equation after the Australia vs South Africa game was washed out in Rawalpindi. To secure a semi-final spot, England needed to win their remaining group-stage matches against Afghanistan and South Africa. A defeat in either match would have eliminated the Three Lions from ICC Champions Trophy semi-final contention. What followed was a repeat of the 2023 ODI World Cup, as Afghanistan once again defeated Jos Buttler and his men in an ICC tournament.

While Joe Root scored a gritty century in the chase of 326, his first in the format in six years, it didn't prove enough. Azmatullah Omarzai recorded his career best figures of 5/58 in a spell where he dismissed Jos Buttler, Joe Root, and Liam Livingstone. Buttler and Livingstone fell cheaply as England faltered the chase with a margin of eight runs in Rawalpindi. Effectively, Afghanistan now remain alive in the semi-final qualification race while England has become the first to be eliminated from Group B.

Since succeeding Eoin Morgan as captain in July 2022, Jos Buttler initially led England to T20 World Cup triumph in Australia that same year. However, things unraveled soon after. In the 58 white-ball matches under his leadership since that World Cup win, England have suffered 32 defeats, culminating in three major setbacks, the first-round exit from the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, a semi-final loss in the 2024 T20 World Cup, and now, an early ICC Champions Trophy exit. If doubts over Buttler’s leadership were simmering after England’s ODI World Cup disaster, the latest failure has only intensified the scrutiny.

The England skipper admitted he wouldn’t make any hasty decisions while emotions were still raw but indicated that discussions with the ECB’s top officials in the coming days would shape his next move. Addressing concerns about whether the captaincy was weighing on him mentally and physically, Buttler insisted that leadership had always been a part of his identity, even before he officially took on the role.

"Yeah, I think obviously the results aren't where they need to be and I personally need to consider all possibilities. And like I said, obviously, we need to get us as a team back to where England cricket needs to be in the white ball formats. And I think I've got to work out personally am I part of the problem or am I part of the solution," The England captain said.

"As I said, I'm not going to make any emotional decisions right here, right now. You’re probably not the first people I'd discuss that with. And take a little bit of time to just work out personally what I think is right. And obviously, the guys at the top are in charge and they will have their own views as well - so as I said, we need to get the team back to where it needs to be - competing for winning these tournaments and as I said I've got to work out - am I part of the solution or not?" Buttler added.