England’s T20 World Cup winning skipper steps down after his team’s failures at the last three ICC tournaments.
Jos Buttler has announced his decision to step down as England’s limited-overs captain after a disastrous Champions Trophy campaign ended with them failing to reach the semifinals.
“I’m going to stand down as England captain, it’s the right decision for me and the team,” the 34-year-old said at a news conference on Friday.
“It’s the right decision for the team and hopefully somebody else who can come in and work closely alongside Baz [coach Brendon McCullum] to take the team back to where it needs to be.
“This tournament was going to be important result-wise for my captaincy and obviously, two losses and being out of the tournament, and with a bit of a hangover of some tournaments before, I just probably reached the end of the road for me and my captaincy, which is a shame. I’m sad about that.”
After a five-wicket defeat by archrivals Australia in their Champions Trophy opener, England were eliminated on Wednesday following their eight-run loss against tournament debutants Afghanistan in Lahore, Pakistan.
Buttler, who had earlier said he would consider his future as England’s skipper but would not make any emotional decisions, has overseen 22 losses in 34 One-Day Internationals since succeeding the retired Eoin Morgan in June 2022.
The 34-year-old had led England to their second Twenty20 World Cup title in 2022, but their performances have dipped since then with the side failing to retain their T20 or ODI World Cup crowns.
Last year, Australian coach Matthew Mott stepped down after England’s T20 World Cup semifinal exit against eventual champions India with former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum tasked with reviving the country’s limited-overs fortunes.