Following England’s unexpected elimination from the Champions Trophy campaign, former England captain Michael Atherton acknowledges that Jos Buttler’s tenure as white-ball skipper is finished. Joe Root scored an incredible 120 from 111 balls, but the squad lost to Afghanistan by eight runs on Wednesday and was eliminated.
“I think his time as captain is done,” Atherton said bluntly in a statement made on Sky Sports. Due to the fact that ICC events are now so common, England bases its self-evaluation on them. Sometimes you simply have to state that something isn’t working and that a change is necessary. He most likely understands that in his heart.
However, I don’t believe Buttler has made a significant contribution to this team in terms of captaincy.
After hearing Atherton’s opinions, former England captain Nasser Hussain questioned Buttler’s function as captain. “I’ve never thought, ‘Wow, what a leader,’ when I’ve looked at Buttler. In the field, he lacks the presence that Eoin Morgan possessed. Since Morgan was England’s finest white-ball captain ever, it’s a difficult comparison to make. His batting has suffered as a result. It’s usually time to move on when you’re not getting the most out of a great player or benefiting from leadership.”
However, Michael Vaughan presented an alternative viewpoint, arguing that Buttler is being unfairly blamed for England’s fundamental problems. Vaughan clarified in The Telegraph that while Buttler’s tenure as captain is probably coming to an end, firing him won’t address all of the problems. Jos Buttler won’t be able to continue as captain because he has participated in three consecutive unsuccessful ICC tournaments. However, we shouldn’t fool ourselves into thinking that everything would be resolved by simply changing the captain. The issues facing England go far deeper.
Combined with three straight ICC tournament losses under Buttler’s leadership, England’s Champions Trophy campaign has ended in disappointment. The real question now is whether a change in captaincy will improve England’s current state of affairs.
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