Jos Buttler’s England’s dismal exit from the 2025 Champions Trophy, following a crushing defeat against Afghanistan, has painfully highlighted the end of an era for the former kings of white-ball cricket. This loss marked England’s third consecutive failure in an International Cricket Council (ICC) tournament, leaving them adrift from their past triumphs. Led by Jos Buttler, the team entered the 2023 World Cup in India as double world champions, having won the 2019 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and the 2022 T20 World Cup. However, they returned from India with only three wins from nine games. Their performance at the 2022 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the United States was only slightly better, as they were heavily defeated by India in the semi-finals. Despite the ongoing Champions Trophy in Pakistan and the UAE offering a glimmer of hope, England’s hopes were dashed with consecutive defeats against Australia and Afghanistan. With one remaining group-stage match against South Africa, their hopes of redemption are extinguished. England’s decline has seen them drop to a disappointing seventh in the one-day international world rankings. Their failures have raised questions about the team’s future, particularly regarding Buttler’s leadership. Head coach Matthew Mott, who oversaw the previous two failures, was sacked last year to make way for Brendon McCullum. McCullum, England’s Test coach, was expected to replicate his success with the red-ball team in the white-ball format. However, Buttler, criticized for a perceived lack of tactical acumen, is now under scrutiny. Following Wednesday’s eight-run defeat against Afghanistan in Lahore, Buttler spoke candidly about his future. “I need to work out, am I part of the problem or the solution?” he said, suggesting he would consider stepping down after the team’s group-stage exit. The 34-year-old Buttler, widely regarded as one of England’s greatest-ever white-ball batters, took on the challenging task of succeeding the highly respected Eoin Morgan as captain. While he led the team to T20 World Cup victory in 2022, England’s recent record in 50.
