England captain Jos Butler suggested that he might step down from his role after an exit from his team’s disappointing group stage from the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025, saying “We should consider all the possibilities.”
Faced with criticism of repeated failures under leadership in England’s major ICC tournaments, Butler acknowledged the disappointment of his team’s performance.
“That’s a real shame. I thought there was a chance in the game. Another great game of cricket, but it’s a shame that it comes out on the wrong side,” he said.
England’s loss came after a strong late surge by Afghanistan in group stage conflicts. Butler confirmed the innings that Ibrahim Zadran won in his match.
“They ran away from us in the final 10 overs. Ibrahim’s achievement, he played an incredible inning.
Despite Joe Root’s brave century, the British skipper reflected the challenges faced by the highest order of England. “He played an incredible inning tonight: how to handle the pressure in a run chase.
When asked about his future as captain, Butler said he was visibly influenced. “I don’t want to make an emotional statement right now, but I think I should consider all the possibilities for myself and others.”
Meanwhile, Afghanistan captain Hashmathura Shahidi expressed his joy in his historic victory over England, his second consecutive victory over the 2019 World Cup Champions, following his success at the 2023 World Cup. “As a team, we are happy and I am sure the whole country will be happy with this victory,” he said.
Looking back at the growth of Afghanistan’s strength in world cricket, Shahidi added: We continue to say that we are improving every day as a team. That’s what we showed in the last few World Cups. ”
He praised Zadran with an exceptional knock on his 177 runs, saying, “He’s absolutely amazing. A talented guy. When we were down three first, it was just too much pressure. But the partnership I and Ibrahim had with was special. I think it was one of the best ODI innings I’ve ever seen.”
The Afghan captain expressed confidence in the team’s future and said, “The beauty of our team is that we have talented young people, as well as senior guys at the top level. Everyone knows their role in what to do with this team. Hopefully we will take this momentum together with us for the next game against Australia.”