Jos Buttler stepped down as England's white-ball captain following England's early exit from the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Jos Buttler's captaincy was already under strict scanner after England's disappointed run in the limited over cricket in recent times and finally it all culminated with his sacking. However, Buttler will lead England for the one last time in team's last group-stage match against South Africa in Karachi which is scheduled to be played on Saturday, March 1. However, regardless of the outcome, the team will be eliminated from contention, having suffered consecutive defeats that ended their campaign.
Jos Buttler reaction after quitting England's white-ball captaincy
England's preparation for the Champions Trophy included a white-ball tour of India, which yielded disappointing results. They managed to secure only one win out of eight matches, marking Brendon McCullum's first series as head coach.
“I’m going to stand down as England captain. It’s the right decision for me and the right decision for the team. Hopefully, somebody else who can come in alongside Baz will take the team to where it needs to be,” Buttler said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
“The overriding emotions are still sadness and disappointment. I’m sure, in time, that will pass, and I can get back to really enjoying my cricket, and [will] also be able to reflect on what an immense honour it is to captain your country and all the special things that come with it,” he added.
Buttler assumed the full-time captaincy of England's white-ball teams in June 2022, a tenure that began triumphantly with their victory in the T20 World Cup later that year. However, the team's fortunes in white-ball cricket have since taken a significant downturn. In the 2023 ODI World Cup, England suffered an early exit, finishing seventh in the group stage. While they reached the semi-finals of the 2024 T20 World Cup, they were ultimately eliminated by India.
England's aspirations for the Champions Trophy were abruptly ended by consecutive losses to Australia and Afghanistan. These three successive tournament disappointments appear to have precipitated Buttler's decision to relinquish his captaincy.
"It was quite clear that this tournament was going to be important results-wise and for my captaincy. Two losses and being out of the tournament [was] a bit of a hangover of tournaments before. I’d just reached the end of the road for me and my captaincy, which is a shame, and I’m sad about that,” Buttler further stated.
“With Brendon coming in only recently, I was really excited to work closely alongside him and hope for a very quick turnaround and to take the team forward. But it’s not quite worked out that way, so it just feels like the right time for me and the team to have a change,” he concluded.
Talking about Buttler's track record as England captain in ODIs, for sure it went through a challenging period. He led the team in 44 matches, securing 18 wins while suffering 25 losses, with one match ending without a result. This translates to a win percentage of just 42 percent. In the T20I format, Buttler's record was slightly more favorable. Under his leadership in 51 matches, England achieved 26 victories and 22 defeats, with three matches ending in no result.