Buttler won the 2022 T20 World Cup, his first ICC tournament as captain, but England have underperformed ever since. They lost six out of nine games at the 2023 ODI World Cup, were thrashed by India in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup in 2024, and have now gone out of the Champions Trophy with one group match remaining, following back-to-back defeats to Australia and Afghanistan.
Matthew Mott lost his job as England’s coach after last year’s T20 World Cup and Buttler admitted that he had feared for his own job at the time. He has since captained the team on a tough tour to India where they won only once in eight games, and appeared to concede that his time in charge was likely up in the aftermath of Wednesday night’s game.
“It’s tough to say, stood here right now, and I don’t want to make any sort of emotional statements,” Buttler told Sky Sports. “But I think it’s fair to say that you’ve got to consider all possibilities.
“I’ve enjoyed it [the captaincy]. I’ve seen lots of people say it doesn’t sit well with me, but I do enjoy it. I enjoy the challenge. Obviously I don’t enjoy losing games of cricket and the results. And of course when they’re not going well, you do look at yourself in the mirror and say, ‘Am I part of the problem or am I part of the solution?’ I think that’s what I’ve got to work out.”
Buttler admitted at his post-match press conference that his future may not be in his own hands. “You [the press] are probably not the first people I’d discuss that with,” he said. “I’ll take a little bit of time to work out, personally, what I think is right, and obviously the guys at the top are in charge, and they’ll have their own views as well.
“I enjoy leading. Even before, when I wasn’t captain, I’d like to think of myself as a leader in the team, but results are tough and they weigh heavy at times. Of course, you want to be leading a winning team, and we haven’t been that for a while now, so obviously that brings some difficult moments.”
Harry Brook captained England in their ODI series against Australia in September and is their official vice-captain at the Champions Trophy, while Liam Livingstone (ODI) and Phil Salt (T20I) have also deputised in Buttler’s absence. After Saturday’s game against South Africa, England’s next white-ball fixtures are against West Indies in June.
In Lahore, England fell just short in pursuit of the 326-run target set by Afghanistan despite Joe Root’s first ODI hundred since 2019. Buttler said that their failure to reach the target on a flat pitch was a reflection of the team’s wider struggles.
“I think a confident team would’ve romped home tonight,” he said. “That’s the way sport goes sometimes. When you’ve been short of results in those 50-50 games, you probably find ways to lose as opposed to win when you’re a really confident, flying team.
“The last 10 overs with the ball got away from us: they scored 113 runs in that phase. If we could have restricted them, that would’ve made the chase a lot easier. Joe Root played an unbelievable innings, full of class and character as usual, and we needed one of the top six to go longer with him.
“Everyone is going to be very disappointed and it is going to be raw… You’ve got to allow things like this to push you forward and drive you forward in your future – as an individual, as a team, and, as an England white-ball side, to get back to the level that we want to be at, competing in these tournaments and being here to win.”
Buttler fell for 38 at a critical time in the run chase after an 83-run stand with Root, opening up an end for Afghanistan to target. He has been short of runs in 50-over cricket for some time, with 352 ODI runs at 22.00 since the start of the 2023 World Cup.
“I think when I’m at my best, I’m one of the best players in the world,” he said. “I’m not performing at that level at the moment. I’ve felt in good touch, but I’m not getting the scores that I’ve been used to over time, so that’s frustrating.”
Matt Roller is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. @mroller98