Lahore: Embattled England captain Jos Buttler will spend the next few weeks analysing whether he is a “part of the problem or the solution” before taking a call on his future as the team’s leader following its Champions Trophy ouster due to a stunning loss to Afghanistan.
England lost by eight runs in a chase of 326 as Afghnaistan rode on the combined brilliance of Ibrahim Zadran (177) and Azamatullah Omarzai (41 and 5/58) to record a memorable win here on Wednesday.
“I think I’ve got to work out personally am I part of the problem or am I part of the solution?” an “obviously gutted” Buttler said in the post-match press conference.
This was the third successive failed ICC tournament campaign by England under Buttler after the 2023 World Cup in India and the 2024 T20 World Cup in the Americas.
England had suffered a humiliating 69-run loss to Afghanistan in the group stage of the 2023 World Cup in New Delhi.
“I think obviously the results aren’t where they need to be and I personally need to consider all possibilities. And like I said, obviously, we need to get us as a team back to where England cricket needs to be in the white ball formats,” Buttler conceded.
The batter, whose form hasn’t been particularly encouraging as well, has ruled out any knee-jerk reactions to the debacle.