Buttler on captaincy: Considering all possibilities

Jos Buttler has conceded that he will "consider all possibilities" about his future as England's white-ball captain after they were eliminated from the Champions Trophy following their eight-run defeat to Afghanistan on Wednesday night. It was their ninth loss in 10 white-ball matches this year.

Buttler won the 2022 T20 World Cup, his first ICC tournament as captain, but England have underperformed ever since. They lost six out of nine games at the 2023 ODI World Cup, were thrashed by India in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup in 2024, and have now gone out of the Champions Trophy with one group match remaining, following back-to-back defeats to Australia and Afghanistan.

Matthew Mott lost his job as England's coach after last year's T20 World Cup and Buttler conceded that he had feared for his own job at the time. He has since captained the team on a tough tour to India where they won only once in eight games, and appeared to concede that his time in charge was likely up in the aftermath of Wednesday night's game.

"It's tough to say, stood here right now, and I don't want to make any sort of emotional statements," Buttler told Sky Sports. "But I think it's fair to say that you've got to consider all possibilities.

"I've enjoyed it [the captaincy]. I've seen lots of people say it doesn't sit well with me, but I do enjoy it. I enjoy the challenge. Obviously I don't enjoy losing games of cricket and the results. And of course when they're not going well, you do look at yourself in the mirror and say, 'Am I part of the problem or am I part of the solution?' I think that's what I've got to work out."

More to follow…