Jos Buttler is weighing his future as England’s white-ball captain after a heartbreaking eight-run defeat to Afghanistan in Lahore ended their Champions Trophy campaign. The loss, following a defeat to Australia, marked England’s third consecutive early tournament exit under Buttler’s leadership.
With England set to face South Africa in Karachi on Saturday, the match now holds no significance for their semi-final hopes. The captain acknowledged that the team’s performances have not been up to standard and admitted he must evaluate whether he is contributing to the team’s struggles.
“I’ve got to work out personally, am I part of the problem or am I part of the solution?” Buttler said. “I’m not going to make any emotional decisions right here, right now. The guys at the top – they’re in charge and they will have their own views as well.”
Chasing 326 to win, England was bowled out for 317 with just one ball remaining. Ibrahim Zadran’s remarkable 177 set the foundation for Afghanistan’s victory, leaving England unable to recover despite having opportunities to close out the chase.
“We’re obviously gutted,” Buttler admitted. “We had our chances. It has been a familiar theme. A more firing and confident team would have got over the line.”
Rob Key, England’s team director, and Richard Gould, the ECB chief executive, have been present in Pakistan but are returning to the UK. With Brendon McCullum recently appointed as the all-format men’s head coach to try and stabilize England’s performances, Buttler’s future could be decided by the leadership above him.
“I know lots of people think being captain doesn’t sit well with me,” Buttler said. “But I really do enjoy it. Results are tough and weigh heavy at times. You want to be leading a winning team. We haven’t been that for a while now. It makes for some difficult moments.”
England also faced a setback with Mark Wood suffering a knee injury just four overs into his spell. Already opting for a batting-heavy lineup, losing a key bowler further strained their chances in the field.
“He bowled through a lot of pain and showed unbelievable character,” Buttler said. “It’s never easy losing a bowler, but that was the balance we were comfortable going into the match with.”
England now heads into their final group game with only pride left to play for, while Buttler must decide whether he remains the right person to lead the team forward.
