After England's Champions Trophy defeat, white-ball captain Jos Buttler steps down

After England's group-stage exit from the Champions Trophy, white-ball captain Jos Buttler announced on Friday that he would lead the team for the last time against South Africa in Karachi. England has already been eliminated from the Champions Trophy after losing to Australia and Afghanistan in their first two group games. In Brendon McCullum's first tour as white-ball coach, they went to India to prepare for the tournament, but only won one of their eight matches. Buttler declared, "I'm going to stand down as England captain." "It is the right choice for the team as well as for myself. It is hoped that someone else who is able to join Baz will lead the team to where it needs to be." Buttler's vice-captain, Harry Brook, is the early favorite to take his place. Buttler will continue to represent England and stated that he wants to "really enjoy my cricket again." "The predominant emotions are still sadness and disappointment," he stated. I'm sure that will pass in time, and I'll be able to get back to really enjoying cricket. I'll also be able to think about how great it is to be captain of your country and all the special things that come with it. In June 2022, Buttler was given the job of replacing Eoin Morgan, and later that year, he won the T20 World Cup in Australia. However, England's results have significantly deteriorated since, and Buttler has decided to step down following three consecutive ICC tournament failures: the 2023 50-over World Cup, the 2024 T20 World Cup, and the 2025 Champions Trophy. He said he needed to "consider all possibilities" and figure out whether he was "part of the problem or part of the solution" after England's eight-run loss to Afghanistan on Wednesday, their ninth loss in ten white-ball games this year. Buttler stated, "It was quite clear that this tournament was going to be important, both for my captaincy and in terms of the results." "Being eliminated from the tournament and suffering two losses was somewhat of a hangover from previous tournaments. I was at the end of the road for myself and my captaincy, which is regrettable and sad. "I was really excited to work closely with Brendon, who just came in, and I hoped for a quick turnaround and to move the team forward. However, it hasn't quite worked out that way, so it just feels right for me and the team to make a change. After England's poor run of ODI results dating back to the beginning of the 2023 World Cup, Buttler's position came under more scrutiny. England was the first team officially eliminated from the World Cup, winning just three of nine group games in their attempt to defend their title. It marked the beginning of a losing streak that has resulted in them dropping 18 of their 25 ODIs, including the two matches that ended their Champions Trophy campaign at the first hurdle. Buttler's ODI form, like that of the team he led, had been on a sharp decline over the past 18 months, despite the fact that he will likely be remembered as England's best white-ball batter. In his last 21 innings, he has an average of 26.40 and a strike rate of just over 100, down from 115.97 throughout his ODI career. He started both of England's games in this Champions Trophy, starting in the middle of the lineup when England had a good foundation to build on. However, he ended up getting 23 off 21 and 38 off 42. Even though McCullum stated that England had not yet settled on a candidate, Brook is expected to succeed him. He said he was "incredibly sad" to see Buttler leave but praised his leadership. McCullum stated, "We've all seen over the last couple of years how much he's invested in captaining his country and attempting to get the very best out of those guys around him." "It is impossible to take away from him the fact that he literally won a World Cup only a few years ago. People forget that. Jos's decision to step aside and give the job to someone else is incredibly selfless, and he will continue to be a significant player for us going forward. We will undoubtedly investigate ways to maximize his role performance so that he can have maximum impact. Both England Men managing director Rob Key and ECB chief executive Richard Gould praised Buttler's tenure in charge.