London: England's disappointing exit from the Champions Trophy following their defeat to Afghanistan marks the end of an era for the former giants of white-ball cricket. Jos Buttler's side entered the 2023 World Cup in India as reigning double world champions, having won the 2019 50-over tournament and the 2022 T20 World Cup. However, their campaign in India was dismal, finishing with just three wins in nine matches.

Their performance in last year’s T20 World Cup, held in the West Indies and the United States, showed only slight improvement before they suffered a heavy semi-final defeat against eventual champions India.

The ongoing Champions Trophy, played in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, offered a shot at redemption. However, consecutive losses to Australia and Afghanistan ended their tournament hopes, with only a game against South Africa remaining.

England’s decline in white-ball cricket

England have now dropped to seventh in the one-day international (ODI) world rankings, raising concerns about their future in the format. Head coach Matthew Mott bore responsibility for their recent failures, losing his job last year to make way for Brendon McCullum. England had hoped their Test coach could replicate the success he brought to the red-ball team.

Now, the focus has shifted to captain Jos Buttler, who has faced criticism for his tactical decisions. The 34-year-old admitted after the eight-run loss to Afghanistan in Lahore that he would reflect on his future following England’s early exit. "I need to work out, am I part of the problem or the solution?" Buttler said.

Succeeding the highly regarded Eoin Morgan as captain, Buttler led England to T20 World Cup glory in 2022. However, their ODI record since the 2023 World Cup has been poor, with just four wins in 16 matches.

Calls for change

Former England captain Nasser Hussain believes Buttler’s time as captain should end. "I don't think as far as the captaincy goes, Jos Buttler has added that much to this England cricket team, but it's taken away from his batting," Hussain said on Sky Sports. "And when you add the two together, if you're taking so away from a great player and you're not gaining on the other side with leadership and captaincy and you are considering all options, I think it is probably time to move on."

Another former England captain, Michael Vaughan, also expects Buttler to step down but argues that the team’s issues go beyond leadership.

"In English cricket, we just cannot seem to give full attention to both Test and white-ball cricket," Vaughan wrote in the Telegraph. "At no stage in our history have we been good at both for any meaningful period of time. That is not good enough and is down to management. Look at Australia, New Zealand, even South Africa now. They can juggle the formats."

Potential successors and structural challenges

Vice-captain Harry Brook is the most obvious candidate to replace Buttler, but the 26-year-old is also a key Test player, making his workload a potential issue. Brook, along with other batters like Phil Salt and Liam Livingstone, has struggled for form recently. Jacob Bethell, who missed the Champions Trophy due to injury, and Jamie Smith are promising talents but have yet to cement their places in the side.

England’s bowling attack also posed problems in the tournament. Their pace-heavy approach lacked variety, resulting in them conceding 681 runs in two matches in Pakistan. Despite the retirements of key players such as Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy, and Moeen Ali, England still have experienced campaigners like Joe Root, Adil Rashid, and Mark Wood, though all are now in their mid-30s. Ben Stokes, whose fitness remains an issue and who is also Test captain, is unlikely to play a major role in the ODI setup moving forward. He was not part of the Champions Trophy squad.

Another major challenge for England’s selectors is the lack of exposure to 50-over cricket. The domestic competition has been relegated to "development" status, meaning top players and emerging prospects are primarily focused on T20 and franchise leagues. McCullum, who only took on his dual role as Test and white-ball coach in January, is now faced with the daunting task of rebuilding England’s ODI team.  | AFP