Champions Trophy 2025: England captain Jos Buttler admits future as skipper on the line

England cricket team captain Jos Buttler has stated that his future as captain could be tested in the Champions Trophy match against Afghanistan. The outcome of this game will directly impact England's fate in the tournament, making it critically important. A victory is crucial to maintain their chances.

England is acutely aware that they must defeat Afghanistan in their Group B match in Lahore on Wednesday to avoid elimination. Failure to advance would mark the third consecutive disappointing white-ball event under Buttler's leadership, following unsuccessful title defenses at the 50-over and 20-over World Cups in 2023 and 2024 respectively. This adds significant pressure to the team's performance.

Buttler took over as England's white-ball captain in 2022 after Eoin Morgan's retirement. He stated, "As England captain, you always want to perform well and lead your team to win cricket matches. But in recent times, we haven't been good enough in that area." Despite facing pressure, Buttler expressed his commitment to focusing on the positive aspects. He said, "As soon as you find yourself starting to think about any negative things, you should try and forget about it completely and focus on all the things that can go right and where you can lead the team. I'm very focused on that."

Buttler confirmed that the only change to England's starting lineup will be Jamie Overton replacing the injured fast bowler Brydon Carse. England's poor form is not only evident in major white-ball events. Their 351-8 loss to Australia in their opening group match, with Australia winning by five wickets, was their 11th defeat in 15 One Day Internationals since the 2023 World Cup, and their fifth consecutive loss. They have also lost their last four bilateral series, although Buttler missed two of them due to injury. This highlights a concerning trend for the team.

The abandonment of the match between Australia and South Africa due to rain means that England will be guaranteed a semi-final place if they beat both Afghanistan and South Africa. Unless there is more rain affecting the group stage results, losing in any of those matches will eliminate them. Buttler told BBC Sport, "We need to make sure we build on the things we did well a few days ago and try and get better in certain areas. To get 350 was a great effort, we probably left a few out there, which is a good sign for the batting department. With the ball, we did a lot of things right but we can be more consistent to build scoreboard pressure."

The match will be played at the same venue where England lost to Australia, although on a new pitch. In recent days, England players have suggested that dew had a significant impact on that game, making it easier for Australia to bat during the chase, an advantage potentially worth up to 60 runs. Dew often hinders spin bowlers, who struggle to get sufficient spin from the damp surface or grip the wet ball. Afghanistan possesses a strong spin attack, including world-class leg-spinner Rashid Khan. Buttler said, "They are a tough challenge but we like to focus on that and prepare well, focus on us playing our best individually and collectively to win the game."