Jos Buttler made a big announcement ahead of the England-South Africa clash
Photo : AP
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Jos Buttler stepped down as England's white-ball captain
- Buttler replaced 2019 World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan
- England have had three successive poor ICC tournaments
Jos Buttler has confirmed his resignation from England's white-ball captaincy ahead of the Three Lions' last match against South Africa on Saturday (March 1) at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Buttler will lead his country for the last time in the 2025 Champions Trophy 2025 fixture.
The announcement comes after England lost their first two matches in the ongoing tournament against Australia and Afghanistan at Lahore meaning the two-time finalist were knocked out in the group stage. Post the defeat to Afghanistan on Wednesday (February 26), Buttler had hinted in the post-match press conference that he was considering stepping down from the top job.
"It's the right decision for me, it's the right decision for the team and hopefully somebody else who can come in and work closely alongside Baz [Brendon McCullum] to take the team back to where it needs to be.Yeah, I think it's quite clear that this tournament was going to be important results-wise for my captaincy and obviously two losses and being out of the tournament with a bit of a hangover of some tournaments before, I think I just probably reached the end of the road for me and my captaincy, which is a shame," said Buttler explaining his decision in the press conference.
"I think overriding emotions are still sadness and disappointment, but I'm sure in time that will pass and I can get back to really enjoying my cricket and also be able to reflect on what an immense honour it is to captain your country and all the special things that come with that," Buttler added.
This marks the third successive poor ICC tournament under Buttler's captaincy for the national team. In the 2023 World Cup, England had a forgettable title defense as they failed to reach the semi-finals. The 2019 World Champions finished sixth in the group stage with only four wins in nine games which came against Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Netherlands, and Pakistan.
In the 2024 T20 World Cup, Buttler led England to the semi-final but their campaign was far from impressive as they were beaten comprehensively by Australia in the group stage. They lost to South Africa in their first Super Eight stage match. Later, the two-time champions were comprehensively beaten by India in the semi-final.
Buttler took charge in July 2022 after Eoin Morgan's retirement and captained England to a historic triumph in the T20 World Cup on Australian soil. Buttler is one of only three England captains to lift an ICC title after Paul Collingwood (2010 T20 World Cup) and Morgan (2019 World Cup).
Post the 2024 T20 World Cup debacle, England's white-ball coach Matthew Motts stepped down from the role. Brendon McCullum, who has been the team's red-ball coach since June 2022 was handed over the top job in all three formats of the game since 1st January 2025.
Buttler has led England in 44 ODIs in which they won just 18 games and lost 25. In T20Is, England played 51 matches under Buttler's leadership and won 26 games while losing 22.
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