Jos Buttler’s captaincy era came to an end with an early and winless exit from the ongoing 2025 Champions Trophy. Right before the game against South Africa, Buttler announced that he would step down as England’s white-ball captain.
“I’m going to stand down as England captain,” Buttler said. “It’s the right decision for me and the right decision for the team. Hopefully, somebody else can come in alongside Baz and take the team to where it needs to be.”
Buttler was appointed as Eoin Morgan’s successor in June 2022 and led England to victory in the T20 World Cup in Australia later that year.
However, it hasn’t been an easy ride for England since then. They have endured three consecutive underwhelming ICC tournaments—the 2023 ODI World Cup, the 2024 T20 World Cup, and now the 2025 Champions Trophy.
The decision to step down was, of course, influenced by these successive failures, including an 8-run loss to Afghanistan.
“It was quite clear that this tournament was going to be important—both results-wise and for my captaincy,” Buttler said. “Two losses and being out of the tournament [were] a bit of a hangover from previous tournaments. I’d just reached the end of the road for me and my captaincy, which is a shame, and I’m sad about that.”
It was expected that he would at least end his tenure on a high note with a victory in his final match as captain. However, Marco Jansen and Rassie van der Dussen spoiled the farewell, preventing Buttler from securing a winning send-off.
“A really disappointing performance. We were so far short of the mark today. It was a decent surface—pretty slow but a bit two-paced. We’re not going on and making those big, telling contributions, which has been a recurring issue for this side with the bat,” Buttler said in the post-match press conference against South Africa.
Nevertheless, Buttler backed his team, expressing confidence that they, along with the coach, would do everything possible to bounce back.
“There’s now a huge opportunity for everyone in the dressing room and those outside to put their hand up and say they want to be part of these white-ball teams,” said Buttler, who had already announced that Saturday’s match would be his last as captain.
“There’s no doubt that the talent is there. I’m sure (coach) Brendon and the guys at the top will formulate some plans, and it’s down to individuals as well to step up and commit to getting this team back to where it should be.”
As of now, it remains to be seen who will replace Buttler in the role. Many pundits, including Nasser Hussain, believe Harry Brook is the obvious choice. However, Hussain also raised concerns about whether it would be wise to burden such a young player with so much responsibility.
“Harry Brook is the obvious candidate to take over. He did it at the end of the summer against Australia,” Hussain told Sky Sports. “With the amount of important cricket coming up for England, you have to ask whether you want to put that pressure on a young man who has an India series at home, an Ashes away, and then a T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. Or do you go with a stopgap option like James Vince, Sam Billings, or Lewis Gregory—experienced domestic and franchise captains?”
