Jos Buttler is considering his future as England's white-ball captain after their early elimination from the Champions Trophy.
England suffered an eight-run defeat to Afghanistan in Lahore on Wednesday night, ending their hopes of progressing beyond the group stage.
It marks England's third consecutive disappointing tournament exit under Buttler's leadership.
The 34-year-old captain is now questioning whether he is "part of the problem or part of the solution" following his team's ninth loss in 10 white-ball matches this year.
Jos Buttler's future as England captain is in serious doubt
Reuters
England required victory to remain in the competition after their opening loss to Australia.
Joe Root rallied with the bat, scoring a stunning 120, after Afghanistan had set a target of 326.
But Root was caught out with England needing 39 runs from 26 balls.
Jamie Overton, Jofra Archer and Adil Rashid fell short at the death, with Rashid dismissed off the penultimate ball.
England were bowled out for 317 with one ball remaining, leaving them to play only for pride against South Africa on Saturday.
Speaking after the defeat, Buttler told Sky Sports: "It's tough to say, stood here right now, and I don't want to make any sort of emotional statements. But I think it's fair to say that you've got to consider all possibilities."
He added: "When they're not going well, you do look at yourself in the mirror and say, 'Am I part of the problem or am I part of the solution?' I think that's what I've got to work out."
JUST IN: England knocked out of Champions Trophy by Afghanistan to leave Jos Buttler under immense pressure
Buttler insisted he would not make any rash decisions about his future.
Buttler won the 2022 T20 World Cup, his first ICC tournament as captain, but England have underperformed since.
They lost six out of nine games at the 2023 ODI World Cup.
England were then thrashed by India in the semi-finals of the 2024 T20 World Cup.
This Champions Trophy exit follows back-to-back defeats to Australia and Afghanistan.
"I think a confident team would've romped home tonight," Buttler said after the Afghanistan loss.
READ MORE:Rory McIlroy speaks on divorce debacle for first time and admits wife Erica Stoll's biggest wish
Afghanistan stormed to victory against England on Wednesday to knock England out of the Champions Trophy
Reuters
"When you've been short of results in those 50-50 games, you probably find ways to lose as opposed to win."
Buttler admitted his batting form has been below his usual standards, with only two ODI half-centuries since September 2023.
"I think when I'm at my best, I'm one of the best players in the world," he said.
"I'm not performing at that level at the moment. I've felt in good touch, but I'm not getting the scores that I've been used to over time, so that's frustrating."
He has scored just 352 ODI runs at an average of 22.00 since the start of the 2023 World Cup.
LATEST SPORT NEWS:
England have been dismal in recent ODI fixtures
Reuters
Buttler confirmed he will consult with England's management before making any decision on his captaincy future.
"I'm not going to make any emotional decisions right here, right now," he said. "I want to see the guys at the top – they're in charge and they will have their own views as well."
Both Rob Key, England's team director, and Richard Gould, the ECB chief executive, have been in Pakistan but are due to fly back to the UK on Thursday.
England's next white-ball fixtures are against West Indies in June.
