Leg and off: Should England remove Jos Buttler from white-ball captaincy?
As England celebrated a series-clinching victory against the West Indies in the second Test at Trent Bridge, news regarding their white-ball captain Jos Buttler's calf injury broke through. The injury will result in the 33-year-old missing the upcoming edition of the Hundred.
England are also slated to play a crucial three-T20I and five-ODI series against Australia at home in September. While Buttler's availability for the Australia games might hinge on his recovery from injury, questions about his captaincy of England in the white-ball formats will likely be answered between now and then.
The England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) director Rob Key is set to hold talks with Buttler regarding his captaincy on the back of disappointing recent results especially at the ICC events.
On that note, let us deep dive into various aspects to discover if England should move on from Jos Buttler as their white-ball skipper.
Recent and overall numbers - A Telltale sign for Buttler's removal from captaincy
Unfortunately for Buttler, his recent record as England's white-ball captain gives away only one answer to the 'Should he continue in the role?' - A big no. After revolutionizing white-ball cricket under Eoin Morgan from 2015 to 2021, England's start under Buttler was similarly pleasant.
They won the 2022 T20 World Cup and it appeared like Buttler was the perfect successor to Morgan with England's white-ball dominance set to continue for years.
Yet, the real crash landing came during last year's ODI World Cup in India when England failed miserably in their title defense from 2019. Led by a lackluster Buttler, the side finished seventh with only three wins in nine outings to miss the semi-final.
Following that were ODI and T20I series defeats to the lowly West Indies at the end of 2023. A potential upswing started when England upstaged Pakistan at home in a T20I series before the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and USA.
However, the inconsistencies returned during the marquee tournament as England scrapped through to the final four despite losses to Australia and South Africa before eventual champions India demolished them by 68 runs in the semi-final.
Questions regarding Buttler's captaincy returned in full force as England suffered dismal showings in back-to-back ICC events.
Considering the world-beating squad he inherited, even his overall record as England's captain isn't all that impressive.
While Buttler captained a few games intermittently even during Morgan's tenure, his overall ODI winning percentage is 46.15 in 39 outings. For context, his predecessor, Morgan boasts an ODI winning percentage of 60.31 and led the side to the 2019 World Cup title.
The numbers are slightly more favorable for Buttler in T20Is, with a winning percentage of 53.65 in 41 games, including the 2022 T20 World Cup triumph.
Yet, analyzing the overall numbers across the two white-ball formats and the recent struggles, especially at ICC events, England may be better served removing Buttler as captain.
Now or Never - Ideal time for England to move on from Jos Buttler
Several reasons make this the ideal time for England to move on from Jos Buttler as their white-ball captain.
For starters, Buttler isn't getting any younger at 33, nearing 34, with almost 13 years at the international level. Having led England in the last three ICC events, the timing might be perfect for a new and young captain to take over.
With the likes of Joe Root, Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Adil Rashid, and Chris Woakes, among others, in their mid to late 30s, England's entry into a new era will happen sooner than later.
Should England look for someone like the talented Harry Brook to eventually become their captain, what better time to start than leading a group of youngsters potentially getting their chances in the next year or two?
While the Champions Trophy will happen in early 2025, the next T20 and ODI World Cup isn't until 2026 and 2027. It lends ample time for a new white-ball captain to forge his methods, ideas, and personnel as England looks to reassert their dominance in T20Is and ODIs by the time the next World Cup arrives.
These factors point to this being the right time for England to replace Buttler with a newer and younger white-ball skipper.
How has captaincy affected Buttler's batting exploits?
Jos Buttler - the batter remains a vital cog in the England white-ball setup over the next few years. Despite his indifferent recent results as captain, the veteran gloveman remains their greatest white-ball match-winner.
Buttler's exploits with the bat as captain have been a mixed bag. While his ODI numbers have faded as the skipper compared to player-only, the reverse has been true in T20Is.
The 33-year-old averages over 38 at a strike rate of 152.17 in 41 matches as captain compared to 34.54 at 142.68 in 83 games as non-captain. Even in the ongoing year, Buttler has shone in T20Is despite the captaincy pressure, averaging over 48 at a strike rate of almost 163 in 10 outings.
The story is quite the opposite if we turn our attention to ODIs. Buttler endured a forgettable ODI World Cup last year with a dismal average of 15.33 in nine games. Even his overall ODI average drops to 36.44 in 39 matches as captain from over 40 as only a batter without the leadership hat.
In conclusion, most factors point towards England moving on from Jos Buttler as their white-ball captain almost immidiately to allow the new skipper to build towards the back-to-back World Cups in 2026 (T20) and 2027 (ODI). Should England contemplate different captains for each of the three formats, then Buttler might be worth persisting with as skipper in T20Is with a new ODI captain.
England must remember how the darkness surrounding appointing Eoin Morgan as captain in ODIs and T20Is in 2015 and Ben Stokes in Tests in 2022 eventually led to terrific turnarounds and must hope it is third time lucky with replacing Buttler as white-ball captain.