Jos Buttler admits ‘sadness’ after stepping down as England white-ball captain

Jos Buttler admitted he was filled with “sadness and disappointment” in announcing he will resign as England white-ball captain after Saturday’s Champions Trophy dead rubber against South Africa.

Buttler inherited a side that were ODI world champions when he succeeded Eoin Morgan in June 2022 and England won the T20 crown a few months into his reign but their fortunes have nosedived since then.

England relinquished both world titles in abject fashion and a group-stage elimination in the Champions Trophy after back-to-back defeats to Australia and Afghanistan left Buttler considering his position.

The 34-year-old wondered whether he was part of the problem on Wednesday and he confirmed his conclusion 48 hours later following a prolonged run of poor form from his side.

“I’m going to stand down as England captain, it’s the right decision for me and it’s the right decision for the team,” he said on the eve of their final Group B clash against the Proteas in Karachi.

“It’s quite clear this tournament was going to be important results-wise for my captaincy and going out with a bit of a hangover from the tournaments before, I’ve just reached the end of the road.

“My over-riding emotions are sadness and disappointment but I’m sure in time that will pass and I’ll get back to really enjoying my cricket.

“Also, I’ll be able to reflect on what an immense honour it is to captain your country and all the special things that come with it.”

Buttler has lost 22 of 34 ODIs, including all of the last six, since being put in full-time charge – an unflattering statistic for a team that were trend-setters and world number ones under Morgan.

They have fared little better in T20s and only beat one major nation en route to the semi-finals last year, with Buttler surviving an internal review as head coach Matthew Mott paid the price instead.

Brendon McCullum replaced Mott, expanding his brief to absorb the white-ball teams, but he has lost nine of his first 10 matches, starkly contrasting with 10 wins in 11 upon taking over the Test side.

“With Brendon coming in only recently, I was really excited to work closely alongside him and hoping for a very quick turnaround and to take the team forward,” he said.

“It’s not quite worked out that way, so it just feels like it’s the right time for me and the team to have a change.

“Hopefully somebody else can come in and work closely alongside Baz to take the team back to where it needs to be.”

Vice-captain Harry Brook is the favourite for the post but his status as an all-format regular and England’s tightly-packed schedule means the Yorkshireman may not be an ever-present in every series.

McCullum, who believes Buttler will walk away from his role “with distinction”, suggested England will assess their options for a replacement – with their next white-ball assignment after the South Africa clash not until May 29.

“Give us a couple of weeks to work things out and digest what’s unfolded here,” he said. “We need to get together and make sure whoever we decide feels right and we give them the most amount of support.

“I genuinely believe we’ve got immense talent in English cricket across all forms and it’s our job to get that talent in the right place.

“The single greatest thing for us since I jumped into this white-ball job is that these guys are too hard on themselves. They’ve got immense talent they are desperate to want to perform. That’s actually stymieing the ability of us to get the performance we want. They care too much.”

Buttler, who intends to be available for ODIs and T20s for England going forwards, informed McCullum of his decision on Thursday evening and told the rest of the team at their hotel minutes before they left for training on Friday.

“He sent me a message yesterday saying he needed a chat and I knew then that things were coming to an end,” McCullum said. “When he told me he wanted to step down, I was initially thinking ‘don’t worry about it, we’ll carry on’ but no, he’s made the right decision.

“He’s a World Cup-winning captain and he has done a good job for England for a few years now. He has worn the captaincy quite heavily because he cares so much about playing for the shirt, the guys in the dressing room and all the supporters of the team.

“But sometimes you can’t always get what you want. He can walk away from the post with distinction.”