Nasser Hussain, Atherton give blunt verdict on Jos Buttler’s captaincy

Following England’s elimination from the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 campaign, former England captain Michael Atherton said that Jos Buttler’s tenure as white-ball skipper is ‘finished’.

Despite an extraordinary 120 off 111 balls from Joe Root, England got knocked out after an eight-run defeat to Afghanistan on Wednesday at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium.

“I think his time is done as captain. England judge themselves on ICC events, and because they come so frequently now, they build towards these tournaments,” Michael Atherton said while speaking to a media outlet.

“Sometimes you just have to say it’s not working, and therefore, it’s time for a change. Deep down, he probably knows that,” Michael Atherton added.

On Michael Atherton’s opinions, former England captain Nasser Hussain questioned Jos Buttler’s role as captain.

Nasser Hussain also compared Jos Buttler and Eoin Morgan as white-ball captains.

“I have never looked at Buttler and thought… wow, what a leader.’ He doesn’t have that presence in the field that Eoin Morgan had,” Nasser Hussain said.

He termed Eoin Morgan as England’s ‘greatest-ever’ white-ball captain.

“That’s a tough comparison because Morgan was England’s greatest-ever white-ball captain, a hard act to follow. But as far as captaincy goes, I don’t think Buttler has added much to this team,” Nasser Hussain added.

Read More: Will Buttler remain as England captain after Champions Trophy exit?

“It has taken away from his batting. When you’re neither gaining from leadership nor getting the best out of a great player, it’s probably time to move on.”

For the unversed, Jos Buttler guided England to victory in the 2022 T20 World Cup, his first tournament as captain.

However, the team has struggled since then, losing six of nine matches in the 2023 ODI World Cup.

The team experienced a heavy defeat to India in the semifinals of the 2024 T20 World Cup and is now being knocked out of the Champions Trophy with one group match left, having lost consecutively to Australia and Afghanistan.

Afghanistan outclassed England in a thrilling last-over finish in the Champions Trophy 2025, securing a victory by 8 runs.

After losing their opening match to Australia, England faced a do-or-die situation. Afghanistan, on the other hand, not only secured a historic victory but also kept their hopes alive in the race for the semi-finals.