The Jos Buttler-inspired England's sorry exit from the Champions Trophy 2025, following a crushing defeat against Afghanistan, has painfully highlighted the end of an era for the former kings of white-ball cricket.
The loss signified England's third consecutive failure at an International Cricket Council (ICC) tournament, leaving them adrift in the wake of their past triumphs.
The team, led by Jos Buttler, entered the 2023 World Cup in India as double world champions, having triumphed in the 2019 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and the 2022 T20 World Cup.
However, they limped back from India, securing just three wins from nine games.
Their performance at the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the United States in 2022 was only marginally better, as they were hammered by India in the semi-finals.
Despite the ongoing Champions Trophy in Pakistan and the UAE offering a glimmer of hope, England's dreams were dashed with back-to-back defeats against Australia and Afghanistan.
With one remaining group-stage match against South Africa, their hopes of redemption were extinguished.
England’s fall from grace has seen them drop to a disappointing seventh in the one-day international world rankings. In the wake of their failures, questions have arisen regarding the future of the team, particularly concerning the leadership of Buttler.
Head coach Matthew Mott, who had overseen the previous two misfires, was sacked last year to make way for Brendon McCullum. McCullum, England's Test coach, was expected to bring the magic he had achieved with the red-ball team to the white-ball format. However, it is now Buttler, who has faced criticism for a perceived lack of tactical acumen, who finds himself under fire.
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 following 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-over internationals has been dismal, with just four wins from 16 matches since the 2023 World Cup.
Former England captain Nasser Hussain believes it is time for Buttler to step aside. “I don’t think, as far as the captaincy goes, Jos Buttler has added that much to this England cricket team, but it’s taken away from his batting,” Hussain said.
“And when you add the two together, if you’re taking so much away from a great player and you’re not gaining on the other side with leadership and captaincy, and you are considering all options, I think it is probably time to move on,” said Hussain.
Michael Vaughan, another former England captain, shared a similar sentiment, stating that Buttler’s tenure was nearing its end. However, Vaughan noted that the team’s issues went deeper. “In English cricket, we just cannot seem to give full attention to both Test and white-ball cricket,” Vaughan stated.
“At no stage in our history have we been good at both for any meaningful period of time. That is not good enough and is down to management. Look at Australia, New Zealand, even South Africa now. They can juggle the formats.”
The natural successor to Buttler is believed to be Harry Brook, the team's vice-captain.
However, the 26-year-old Yorkshireman has primarily been a Test regular and faces a challenging workload.
Brook has also struggled for form recently, along with fellow batters Phil Salt and Liam Livingstone.
Young players such as Jacob Bethell, who missed the Champions Trophy through injury, and Jamie Smith are seen as promising talents, but neither has yet made a significant impact.
On the bowling front, England’s pace-heavy attack proved ineffective, conceding 681 runs in just two matches in Pakistan.
Despite the exits of key players like Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy, and Moeen Ali, England still possesses significant talent.
However, several of their key players, including batter Joe Root, leg-spinner Adil Rashid, and express paceman Mark Wood, are all in their mid-30s.
Ben Stokes’ fitness concerns and his role as Test captain suggest his involvement in future white-ball campaigns may be limited, as he was notably absent from the Champions Trophy squad.
A further complication for England’s selectors is the decline of the domestic 50-over competition, now relegated to "development" status.
This has led many top players and promising prospects to focus on T20 and franchise cricket, further exacerbating the team's problems.
Brendon McCullum, who took on the dual role of Test and white-ball coach in January, now faces the difficult task of rebuilding England’s white-ball fortunes, aware of the monumental challenge ahead.
