Who will lead England after Jos Buttler stepped down as the white-ball skipper?

Jos Buttler has stepped down as the white-ball captain of England on Friday. The announcement came after England were knocked out of Champions Trophy 2025 in the first round of matches. The Three Lions loss to Afghanistan by eight runs was the final straw for Buttler as pressure mounted on him post the exit. 

The 34-year-old began his England captaincy journey in style by winning the 2022 T20 World Cup. This was followed by first rounds exits in 2023 ODI World Cup and 2025 Champions as well as a semi-final loss to India in the T20 World Cup 2024. Former England skipper Michael Vaughan had raised doubts over Buttler’s captaincy reign after the latest reversal. 

Addressing the media, Buttler as quoted by CRICBUZZ said “It's the right decision for me, it's the right decision for the team and hopefully somebody else who can come in and work closely alongside Baz [Brendon McCullum] to take the team back to where it needs to be”. Buttler will captain the side one last time when they take on South Africa on Saturday in Karachi. 

Harry Brook odds on favorite to take over as next captain - 

After Jos Buttler’s decision to step down as the skipper, there are indications that Harry Brook may take over as the new captain. The young batter has been odds on favorite to take over the job with some former players backing him. One of the biggest proponent is none other than former skipper Naseer Hussain. 

The former England skipper as quoted by India Today said “Harry Brook would be my choice as England’s next limited-overs captain now it's clearly time to move on from Jos Buttler. If you're having to think about being England captain, as Buttler said he would be after Champions Trophy elimination earlier this week, you probably know you’re done."

Hussain also said “And there would be issues with appointing Brook. Namely whether, in such an important year that includes a home Test series against India and ends with the Ashes, you want to pass on all the burdens associated with leading a struggling side onto a young man and make his life a bit more difficult as a result."

“England are trying to go in a direction where they're playing a lot of their Test players in the limited-overs sides. Do they want that with the captain as well? That is another question. The months ahead are very important in red-ball cricket and that would be something to consider if Brook took over." Said Naseer Hussain.