England captain Jos Buttler, after a disappointing elimination from the Champions Trophy against Afghanistan, stated he would refrain from making emotional comments about his future as skipper. England lost by eight runs, chasing 326 but finishing at 317 despite Joe Root’s century. Afghanistan’s Ibrahim Zadran scored 177, and pacer Azmatullah Omarzai took five wickets. Buttler acknowledged England’s struggles, reflecting on poor performances in recent ICC tournaments. Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi praised his team’s growth and Zadran’s impressive innings under pressure, emphasizing their potential for future success. Shahidi expressed optimism for their upcoming match against Australia.
England’s captain Jos Buttler expressed his reluctance to make any “emotional statements” regarding his leadership after his team faced a surprising exit from the Champions Trophy at the hands of Afghanistan on Wednesday. Aside from Joe Root, who scored a century, England struggled and lost by eight runs, thus eliminating them from the prestigious event early. In pursuit of 326 runs, England was all out for 317, while Afghanistan’s Ibrahim Zadran dazzled with a remarkable 177 and pacer Azmatullah Omarzai took five wickets. “I don’t want to make any emotional remarks right now. However, I believe myself and the other players at the top need to explore all possibilities,” Buttler stated during the post-match presentation concerning his future as the England white-ball captain.
This marks England’s third consecutive unsuccessful ICC tournament under Buttler’s captaincy, following the 2023 World Cup in India and the 2024 T20 World Cup in the Americas.
Earlier, England experienced a disheartening 69-run defeat against Afghanistan in the group stage of the 2023 Cricket World Cup in New Delhi.
“It’s truly disappointing. I felt we had opportunities in the match. It was another fantastic cricket game, but it’s disheartening to end up on the losing side,” Buttler remarked, noting that his team was in contention until the 48th over when they lost Jamie Overton, who was performing well towards the end.
Buttler acknowledged Afghanistan’s impressive batting in the last 10 overs, which created challenges for his team.
“They pulled ahead in those final overs. Credit to Ibrahim (Zadran), he played an outstanding innings. Reflecting on it, 113 runs in the last 10 overs elevated them to a score that was very competitive on that pitch.” The skipper commended Root for maintaining his composure in difficult situations, scoring 120 runs.
“He produced an incredible innings tonight. The way he navigated the pressure in a run-chase was remarkable. He required one of the other top six batters to partner with him and extend the game.” Afghanistan’s captain Hashmatullah Shahidi, who formed a century partnership with Zadran, remarked that the victory showcased his team’s growth.
“As a team, we are pleased and I’m sure the entire nation will celebrate this win. The first time we defeated them was during the 2023 World Cup. I consistently state that we are improving daily as a team, and we demonstrated that in the last couple of World Cups. Today was a tense match, but we managed it well. I’m pleased with the outcome,” Shahidi commented.
On Zadran’s impressive century, he stated that the opener rose to the occasion amid high pressure.
“A talented player. When we lost three wickets early, the pressure was immense. But the partnership between Ibrahim and me was special. I believe it was one of the best ODI innings I have ever witnessed.
“The strength of our team lies in our talented young players and experienced seniors at the highest level. Everyone understands their roles within this team. We hope to carry this momentum into our next game against Australia,” he added.
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