Buttler’s successor will need right support: Brendon McCullum

Following England’s early elimination from the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Jos Buttler resigned as captain, ushering in a period of upheaval for the white-ball sport. Although Buttler expressed his dissatisfaction with the team’s performance, head coach Brendon McCullum defended the departing captain by disclosing the difficult situation he was in.

Following Eoin Morgan’s retirement in 2022, Buttler became leadership of England’s white-ball side and helped the team win the T20 World Cup later that year. But in later ICC competitions, the Three Lions found it difficult to duplicate their triumph.

The last failures that prompted Jos Buttler to resign were their three straight defeats, which put an end to their Champions Trophy 2025 campaign.

According to the former captain of New Zealand, Buttler’s difficulties stemmed from the challenging atmosphere he had to lead in.

McCullum noted that because of England’s rotational approach, Buttler frequently had to captain sides who were not operating at their best. The team avoided using their top team for important tasks because players like Joe Root and Mark Wood were rested for a number of white-ball series. According to McCullum, in order to prevent such issues, the next captain needs to be provided with the required assistance.

We’re working with the ECB, Keysy [Rob Key], and myself to make sure that every format receives as much attention is possible. Sometimes it’s a difficult balancing act. You may argue that, even while considering these most recent series, you should try to balance things out across formats and rest some players for specific Test series. Give us a few weeks to sort things out, process what has happened, determine what we have done well and what we have not, and determine the framework for how we want to proceed. There is some time to sort that out because our next assignment isn’t for another few months.”

McCullum thinks Buttler has established a solid foundation for his replacement, similar to what Root did prior to resigning as Test captain, despite England’s dismal performance.

“I told the boys in the team room tonight that sometimes it’s not about the outcomes you get during the time you’re in the post. In leadership roles, your influence can last long after you leave the position, and I have no doubt that will be the case. Joe Root’s tenure as Test captain, in my opinion, was a prime illustration of that. Under extremely difficult circumstances, he was able to at least hold the fort to some extent. The improvement in performance that came when Stokesy [Ben Stokes] took over sort of followed from that, and hopefully it will be the same across the white-ball teams whenever we choose that person,” he continued.

Although Harry Brook is thought to be the leading candidate for the position, McCullum disclosed that no decision has been made as of yet. He gave Buttler credit for developing the team’s future leaders, which will facilitate the changeover.

“Some incredibly talented leaders have emerged. Jos’s ability to inspire other group leaders is a hallmark of his leadership. Although they are young men with solid cricketing knowledge, they are not necessarily seasoned players, and he has pushed them to grow as leaders. In order to improve our performances, we just need to make sure that anyone we choose is receiving the proper support,” McCullum said.