2 hours ago
3
The Afghanistan fans had hardly stopped dancing arsenic Rob Key departed Pakistan successful the aboriginal hours of Thursday morning.
England's manager of men's cricket was booked connected the 3am formation retired of Lahore agelong earlier a miserable Champions Trophy exit was confirmed, but near with plentifulness to ponder.
Key is yet to sack a skipper since taking connected his relation successful April 2022 but, erstwhile the jetlag subsides, indispensable determine whether Jos Buttler's clip is done.
It whitethorn beryllium that Key is spared the astir hard decision.
Buttler did not dependable similar a antheral keen to enactment on aft the eight-run decision by Afghanistan - a tantalising brushwood successful which Joe Root astir rescued England from the brink.
"I don't privation to accidental immoderate affectional statements close now," helium said. "For myself and the guys astatine the top, we should see each possibilities."
A code of defiance, it was not.
It was hard not to consciousness for Buttler erstwhile helium slumped successful his chair, having dragged himself from the dressing rooms to look the media.
From Bangalore to Barbados, Lucknow to Lahore, the 34-year-old has been present earlier implicit the past 15 months. The aforesaid questions asked by the aforesaid faces aft 3 mediocre showings successful planetary events.
"I cognize tons of radical deliberation it doesn't beryllium good with maine being skipper and that benignant of happening but I truly bash bask it," Buttler said.
It is not conscionable his tactics oregon his batting method that person been doubted implicit England's mediocre tally but his precise make-up. That is not easy.
It was hoped the accomplishment of Brendon McCullum arsenic manager would reinvigorate Buttler, who was known to person taken defeats successful the India World Cup peculiarly hard.
Word is the decision by Australia connected Saturday was dealt with much easily, with the value lifted by the beingness of the New Zealander, but Wednesday's temper was familiarly sombre, leaving McCullum astatine his trickiest juncture successful English cricket to date.
His relationship with Buttler dates backmost agelong earlier this moving narration - the brace erstwhile concern partners alternatively than skipper and manager - and McCullum is unnervingly loyal.
That should ne'er beryllium mistaken for a softness, however. Do not hide the ruthless decisions to determination connected James Anderson, Jack Leach oregon Ollie Robinson.
McCullum volition besides surely not person underestimated the size of the task successful turning this vessel around, but the issues successful beforehand of him - not slightest a nationalist increasing louder with its discontent - are mounting.
Brydon Carse's toed wounded is superior capable that it could regularisation him retired of the Indian Premier League oregon the aboriginal region season, portion Mark Wood was understood to beryllium successful important symptom arsenic helium bowled done a genu contented against Afghanistan.
Wood volition beryllium assessed again connected Thursday and superior damage, to a genu operated connected successful 2019, would beryllium a immense stroke earlier a Test bid against India successful the summertime and Australia successful the winter.
England's absorption present switches to the situation McCullum faces.
When taking connected the white-ball role, helium said his coaches would measurement up to pb erstwhile helium needed clip away, but grounds suggests this squad cannot spend a half-in leader.
England's adjacent one-day internationals are against West Indies successful May - sandwiched betwixt a Test against Zimbabwe and the India bid - earlier they play South Africa successful September, by which clip the Ashes volition loom large.
The thought of England failing to suffice for the 2027 World Cup whitethorn look utmost but lone the apical 8 successful the rankings - 9 if South Africa are 1 of those - are guaranteed their spots. England are presently seventh with Afghanistan having closed successful and Bangladesh and West Indies lurking below.
Continuing to instrumentality their white-ball broadside for granted could mean a qualification tourney alongside the likes of Nepal and Oman.
Buttler, Root, Wood and co are besides the past procreation of England cricketers who grew up connected 50 (or 40)-over cricket. Given the deficiency of it played successful England, the hunt for the adjacent procreation volition proceed to beryllium educated guesswork.
And if Buttler is replaced, immoderate protagonist hoping it volition bring successful a alteration of attack is apt to beryllium disappointed.
Three men person captained this broadside successful the past twelvemonth erstwhile Buttler has been injured - Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone and Phil Salt, who are each disciples of the attacking approach.
Having ascended to beryllium Buttler's vice-captain successful January aft starring successful his lack successful 5 matches against Australia, Brook is the evident adjacent move.
During that 3-2 decision by Australia, Brook said helium wanted the squad to play similar McCullum's Bazballing Test broadside and was besides criticised for his "who cares" if you are caught connected the bound oregon successful the in-field remark astatine Trent Bridge.
That was a misstep but helium did good to retrieve successful a promising archetypal stint arsenic captain, which included his lone one-day planetary period to date.
Responsibility whitethorn beryllium what Brook, a erstwhile England Under-19 captain, needs to crook his undeniable white-ball talents into match-winning performances due to the fact that the existent presumption quo is helping neither him nor the team.
Ten innings, 169 runs and an mean of 16.90 successful matches this twelvemonth whitethorn not consciousness similar the signifier of a captain-elect, but helium remains the champion option.
Brook's ascension would bring issues successful that helium would not ever beryllium disposable due to the fact that of his cardinal relation successful the Test team. But it would besides springiness England different enactment if Stokes' assemblage was to neglect him down under, successful summation to Ollie Pope who could beryllium retired of the XI by the clip they scope Perth.
And determination I go, relegating the white-ball squad to a second-tier status. England got to the apical of the white-ball satellite by prioritising it nether Eoin Morgan, lone to illness erstwhile the Test broadside retook the absorption erstwhile McCullum was archetypal appointed.
It volition instrumentality longer than 1 formation for Key to find a mode to navigate English cricket's longstanding problem.
English (US)