Jos Buttler has resigned as England captain on the eve of the final match of the Champions Trophy.
Buttler will lead his country for the final time against South Africa at the National Stadium, admitting that it was with great sadness that he told England coach Brendon McCullum of his decision on Thursday night.
The 34-year-old, who revealed he would consider his future in the aftermath of defeat to Afghanistan 24 hours earlier, confirmed: ‘I’m going to stand down as England captain, it’s the right decision for me and it’s the right decision for the team.
‘Hopefully somebody else can come in and work closely alongside Baz to take the team back to where it needs to be.’
When Buttler led the team to Twenty20 World Cup success in 2022, England were double world champions but overall he found Eoin Morgan a hard act to follow and two poor title defences combined with 22 defeats in 34 one-day internationals wearing the armband as permanent captain led to an inevitable conclusion.
‘It’s quite clear this tournament was going to be important results-wise for my captaincy and two losses and going out of the tournament with a bit of a hangover from the tournaments before, I’ve just reached the end of the road,’ Buttler continued.
England’s white-ball captain Jos Buttler has announced that he will step down as captain
Buttler’s resignation comes after England crashed out of the Champions Trophy this week
Buttler announced his decision at a press conference before tomorrow’s game vs South Africa
‘It’s a shame and I’m sad about it. With Brendon coming in only recently, I was really excited to work closely alongside him, hoping for a very quick turnaround and to take the team forward.
‘It’s not quite worked out that way, so it just feels like it’s the right time for me and the team to have a change.’
Buttler continued: ‘My over-riding emotions are sadness and disappointment but I’m sure in time that will pass and I’ll get back to really enjoying my cricket.
‘Also, I’ll be able to reflect on what an immense honour it is to captain your country and all the special things that come with it.’
The Champions Trophy disaster – where England have suffered narrow losses by Australia and Afghanistan over the past week – was the latest mishap in a run of poor form across both white-ball formats.
England have lost 15 of their last 21 ODIs in a malaise that has stretched back a few years after their previously all-conquering side became the first team to hold both the ODI and T20I World Cups at the same time.
However, their defence of the ODI title in 2023 was disastrous as England finished seventh in the 10-team group stage after winning three out of their nine games.
Buttler’s side did reach the semi-finals at the T20I World Cup in the Caribbean last summer, but England beat only Oman, Namibia, West Indies and the United States at the tournament.
Buttler (C) guided England to T20 World Cup glory months into his tenure in November 2022
However, they have lost 15 of their past 21 ODIs and struggled in three successive tournaments
Harry Brook has been widely tipped to take over the role having stood in for Buttler during the summer series with Australia, although the Yorkshireman is relatively inexperienced in the ODI format.
The 26-year-old is a generational talent, yet he averages just 34.65 in ODIs – and has scored 78 runs across his past five matches.
After the Champions Trophy, England’s next white-ball assignment comes in May when they take on West Indies in a three-match ODI and T20 series.
England will also face South Africa and Ireland in white-ball series’ in September.
