I think Buttler's time is done as captain: Michael Atherton

Michael Atherton, former England captain admits Jos Buttler's term as white-ball captain is over the tables after England's shocking exit from the Champions Trophy campaign. Despite an extraordinary 120 off 111 balls from Joe Root, the team got knocked out after an eight-run defeat to Afghanistan on Wednesday. 

Speaking on Sky Sports, Atherton was clear-cut in the statement saying, "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. Sometimes you just have to say it’s not working, and therefore, it’s time for a change. Deep down, he probably knows that."  

Listening to Atherton’s views, Nasser Hussain, former England skipper questioned Buttler’s role as a skipper. "I’ve never looked at Buttler and thought, ‘Wow, what a leader.’ He doesn’t have that presence in the field that Eoin Morgan had. 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. 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."  

Also Read: 'Don't want to say anything emotional right now' - Jos Butler reflects on England captaincy after Champions Trophy exit

Neverthless, a different perspective was offered by Michael Vaughan, stating that Buttler is being unreasonably scapegoated for England’s basic issues. Explaining in The Telegraph, Vaughan stated that Buttler as a captain is most likely to end but removing him is not a solution to fix all the flaws. "Given he has been part of three failed ICC tournaments in a row, Jos Buttler will not survive as captain. But let’s not kid ourselves that changing the captain will suddenly fix everything. England’s problems run much deeper." 

England’s Champions Trophy campaign has ended in setback, and adding it up with three consecutive ICC tournament defeats under Buttler’s captaincy. Now, the actual question lies, in where a change in captaincy would bring a difference in England's current situation.