Wednesday’s Champions Trophy defeat marked England’s seventh successive loss under Jos Buttler’s captaincy. (Reuters)
England’s white-ball captain Jos Buttler was left questioning whether he is “part of the problem or the solution” after leading his side to a second group stage exit in four ICC tournaments at the Champions Trophy.
Former England skippers Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain believe it is the former.
“I think his time is done, actually, as captain and I think that’s probably right,” Atherton was quoted as saying by Sky Sports.
“England have had three bad (ICC events) in a row now, the disastrous 50-over World Cup in India, a poor T20 World Cup in the Caribbean – where they made the semis but they didn’t beat anybody of note though it – and now here, and their cricket is way below the standards which they set themselves.. Sometimes you just have to say it’s not working.”
Buttler’s side failed to defend 351 in their tournament opener against Australia in Lahore, and then lost by eight runs in the final over in a gripping game against Afghanistan at the same venue on Wednesday, bringing their tournament to an end.
Hussain believes that as affable and popular as Buttler may be, there is plenty of proof for the ineffectiveness of his captaincy which is why England must now look elsewhere.
“If you’re having to consider all options, that probably tells me the option is to let it go,” he said. “I thoroughly like Jos Buttler as a human being… but it’s not his job to be popular, his job is to make England better at white ball cricket.”
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“If he’s saying there’s a lot of talent in the dressing room, and their win percentage has fallen off a cliff, and they’ve gone out in the group stages of the 50-over World Cup and Champions Trophy, and they’ve lost their last four bi-lateral series, and his form has diminished, I don’t think it [the captaincy] sits comfortably on his shoulders,” Hussain added.
