Will Buttler quit as England captain following Champions Trophy failure?
What's the story
England captain Jos Buttler faced a tough post-match interview following his team's early Champions Trophy exit.
A narrow eight-run loss to Afghanistan sealed England's fate in the tournament.
This defeat adds to their recent struggles in ICC events, following early exits from the 2023 ODI World Cup and last year's T20 World Cup.
Here's more.
Performance analysis
England's losing streak under Buttler's leadership
The defeat also marked England's seventh consecutive loss in ODIs under Buttler's captaincy.
Notably, the streak started with their 1-2 ODI series loss against West Indies.
Despite a promising start, England let Afghanistan recover from 37/3 and post a challenging total of 325/7 at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium.
Even with Joe Root scoring his first ODI ton since June 2019, England were folded out for 317 in 49.5 overs, falling short of the target.
Captain's stance
Buttler's response to questions about his captaincy
In the post-match presentation, former English cricketer Mike Atherton grilled Buttler on England's dwindling performances in ICC tournaments and his form as a player.
On being questioned about the future of his captaincy, Buttler replied, "I think I've got to work out personally am I part of the problem or am I part of the solution?"
"I think obviously the results aren't where they need to be, and I personally need to consider all possibilities," he further added.
Future plans
Buttler refrains from making any emotional decisions after England's exit
Buttler's batting form has also been up for debate. However, he did clarify he wouldn't make any hasty decisions.
"I'm not going to make any emotional decisions right here, right now. You're probably not the first people I'd discuss that with," Buttler said.
"Results are tough and they weigh heavy at times. And, you want to be leading a winning team and we haven't been that for a while now so obviously that brings some difficult moments," he added.
Match recap
Afghanistan stun England with historic win, eliminate them from CT
As mentioned, Champions Trophy debutants Afghanistan beat England by eight wickets.
Afghanistan's win was fueled by Ibrahim Zadran's maiden CT ton (177 off 146 balls), and Azmatullah Omarzai's 5/58.
Batting first the Afghan team posted 325/7 in their fifty overs, after losing reeling at 37/3.
In response, Root's ton (120) went in vain as Afghanistan bundled out England for 317.