Replacing Buttler as captain the sensible thing to do - Agnew

From 1999 astatine Edgbaston successful their ain tourney to decision by Bangladesh successful Adelaide successful 2015, I person covered plentifulness of shambolic England exits successful planetary tournaments.

Each clip it feels similar the lowest constituent – that things cannot spell connected – and Wednesday's decision by Afghanistan successful the Champions Trophy ranks among those acheronian days of the past.

England person disintegrated arsenic a white-ball outfit since their 2 World Cup wins successful 2019 (ODI) and 2022 (T20).

It is clip to erstwhile again program for the aboriginal due to the fact that relieving Jos Buttler of the captaincy is simply the sensible happening to do.

Whenever I person dealt with him, Buttler has ever been a precise bully guy. He won that T20 World Cup arsenic skipper successful 2022 but, adjacent if helium says helium enjoys the role, the captaincy has ne'er felt similar a earthy fit.

He has spoken astir practising his grin successful the reflector and aft Wednesday's decision told the media helium had to deliberation whether helium is "part of the occupation oregon the solution", which sounds similar the words of idiosyncratic whose caput is simply a small mixed up.

Buttler volition beryllium 37 by the clip the adjacent 50-over World Cup comes on successful 2027.

There is nary crushed wherefore helium cannot enactment successful the squad arsenic a subordinate until then, particularly if stepping down releases him of the burden, puts that grin connected his look and allows him to spell backmost to being the destructive batsman we cognize helium tin be.

But moving connected to different person now, astir apt Harry Brook, would springiness him clip to furniture successful earlier that tourney successful South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. It conscionable feels similar the close happening to do.

To his credit, Buttler really began this tourney with the close message. He said however his batters needed to larn to alteration done the gears erstwhile necessary, and spell backmost down a cogwheel erstwhile necessary.

The occupation is, lone Ben Duckett successful the decision by Australia and Joe Root successful his 120 against Afghanistan showed immoderate capabilities of being capable to bash so.

The dismissals of Phil Salt and Jamie Smith were horrendous connected Wednesday.

Salt's changeable – a limp swipe crossed the enactment to beryllium bowled – was a existent jaw-dropper portion Smith near maine mislaid for words. He has impressed successful his archetypal 9 Tests since his debut past summertime but to complaint the archetypal shot of rotation successful the innings cannot beryllium explained.

Batting successful the apical 3 of a 50-over lucifer connected level batting tracks specified arsenic these is specified a privilege, and a bully subordinate should beryllium capable to get himself successful to marque a bucket-full.

Instead, Smith played a atrocious changeable against Australia to beryllium caught astatine mid-on and to spell caught astatine constituent having a plaything against Afghanistan leaves superior questions arsenic to whether helium is the close antheral for the fig 3 position.

It was besides the latest illustration of England having acold excessively overmuch of a T20 mindset.

Take Jofra Archer, for example.

In some of England's defeats – matches they should truly person won - helium tried back-of-the-hand stuff, slower balls and each of his variations. That is not 50-over cricket. It is T20.

Pace is large but it has to beryllium close gait similar Azmatullah Omarzai showed. He is not explicit and mostly does not person each of the tricks but helium runs successful hard, is close and bowls to his tract – thing England person struggled to do.

While they mostly picked their champion players successful this tournament, Buttler and manager Brendon McCullum enactment each of their eggs into the gait handbasket - picking Archer and Mark Wood successful some games and swapping Jamie Overton for Brydon Carse successful the 2nd – and it has ne'er looked close arsenic an attack.

Add successful that England person ever been juggling their resources having picked lone 4 frontline bowlers, making up the numbers with Joe Root and Liam Livingstone, and it is wide mistakes person been made.

You request 5 due bowlers successful an ODI truthful the absorption has to instrumentality immoderate of the blasted for that but again we travel backmost to the information English cricket does not instrumentality 50-over cricket seriously.

All of these issues – the nonaccomplishment to laic a level erstwhile batting and an inability to beryllium accordant with the shot – are due to the fact that the players are not utilized to playing the format.

The adjacent procreation are not playing it due to the fact that the home contention [The One-Day Cup] has been downgraded and erstwhile the summertime comes you tin stake galore cardinal players volition not diagnostic against West Indies successful May and June and South Africa successful September due to the fact that they volition beryllium wrapped up successful fabric wool for the Ashes.

Unless that changes I don't deliberation we tin beryllium amazed by these results.

As for Brook, helium has had a mediocre commencement to 2025 with an mean of 16.90 crossed 10 matches successful 50 and 20-over cricket - but we cognize helium tin play.

There are not galore options to regenerate Buttler but Brook seems the astir credible. He has done it before, successful the five-match bid against Australia past September, which volition person astatine slightest got him reasoning astir captaincy portion connected the field.

We bash not cognize however bully a skipper helium whitethorn beryllium but those adjacent to the campy talk highly of his cricket brain. That said, this England radical is ever bigging each different up truthful it is hard to know.

Ultimately, it tin lone beryllium shown by results and performances but, if Brook does instrumentality over, helium volition person a bully tally up to 2027.

Buttler inactive has years up arsenic a player. He tin inactive marque his people too.