Jos Buttler says he must ‘consider the possibility’ of standing down as white-ball captain after England crashed out of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy at the earliest opportunity with an eight-run defeat to Afghanistan.
England required victory to remain in the competition and Joe Root rallied with the bat to gave his side a chance, scoring a stunning 120, after Afghanistan had set a target of 326.
But Root was caught out with England needing 39 runs from 26 balls and Jamie Overton, Jofra Archer and Adil Rashid fell short at the death, with the latter dismissed off the penultimate ball.
Having suffered a five-wicket loss in their opening contest with Australia, Buttler and Co will be playing for pride only in their final group game against South Africa on Saturday.
Speaking to Sky Sports shortly after the loss to Afghanistan, Buttler conceded that his side were some way from their best, though not helped by injuries to both Mark Wood and Liam Livingstone.
On the injury to Wood, Buttler said: ‘It was difficult and Livi went off the field at some point as well with his ankle, so credit to him for coming back on.
‘It was difficult, trying to marry up using our best resources to try and break the partnerships and restrict them that way but, obviously, knowing that we would have to fill in a few overs here and there.’
Buttler reserved special praise for Root after the batter notched an extraordinary century in vain in England’s unsuccessful chase.
‘He’s obviously been a brilliant player in all formats and his ODI record is outstanding,’ the England skipper added.
‘He played an unbelievable innings tonight, he showed a lot of character and the way to handle the pressure in a run chase.
‘If one of us in the top six could have really stayed with him for longer then I think we would have got home tonight.’
Buttler admitted his inability to produce his world-class best in recent months had been the source of immense ‘disappointment’.
Asked if he had any idea what could be behind his difficulties with the bat, Buttler replied: ‘If I knew I probably wouldn’t playing the way I am.
‘I don’t feel far away, obviously, but at my best I’m one of the best players in the world and it’s disappointing if you’re not reaching that level.’
Pressed on his future as captain, Buttler added: ‘I don’t want to say any emotional statements right now.
‘But I think for myself and the guys at the top, we should consider all possibilities.’
More to follow.
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