Five issues for England after Buttler resigns

The end came quicker than anyone expected.

Just six months ago England coach Brendon McCullum backed Jos Buttler to the hilt despite questions over his captain's future.

Even after defeat by Afghanistan, most thought the decision would be made after the flight home. Instead, Buttler resigned with a smile, his mate by his side, leaving McCullum searching for a new lieutenant.

England's fall from the white-ball summit has been stark and there are issues aplenty to face...

Find a new captain

The first is the most obvious - finding Buttler's replacement.

Harry Brook is the overwhelming favourite given he is the current deputy, impressed when standing in for the five-match one-day international series against Australia last September and is regularly praised by coaches and team-mates for his smart 'cricket brain'.

But appointing the 26-year-old would bring its own challenges.

There is less crossover ahead in England's multi-format schedule, but playing every white-ball match and being a Test regular would require Keely Hodgkinson's stamina.

McCullum has already accepted he will have to miss tours, having taken charge of the Test and limited-overs sides. If Brook were named skipper, he would surely have to do the same.

The alternative is turning to a white-ball specialist, but Adil Rashid, 37, is too old and Liam Livingstone and Phil Salt too insecure in the XI. Sam Curran has Indian Premier League captaincy experience, but is currently out of the side.

Recalling a specialist captain like James Vince or Sam Billings is surely a non-starter.

Getting the best out of Buttler

Both Buttler and McCullum were keen to stress the resignation is not the end of the 34-year-old's England career.

"I'm sure we will look at ways that we can get the best out of him in terms of his role, so he can have maximum impact as well," said the former Black Caps skipper.

Yet Buttler the batter is in need of reinvigoration. He has scored only two 50s in ODIs since September 2023, but an example to follow is not hard to find.

"Hopefully now I can follow Joe Root's lead and play like he has since he relinquished the captaincy," Buttler said of his team-mate, who gave up the Test job and scored centuries in three of his next four Tests.

Buttler cannot continue as a non-captaining, non-bowling number six in the modern game, meaning some imagination is required.

McCullum and Buttler created a new role for Jamie Smith in this tournament - a powerplay-attacking number three that has resulted in Smith twice being dismissed cheaply by poor shots.

Perhaps, a revitalised Buttler is actually the ideal man for that.

Balance the formats

This one is English cricket's long-standing problem.

When England focus on the Test side, the white-ball team struggles. When they give priority to those in a coloured kit, the red-ball side lurches towards review-inducing crisis.

That Buttler has rarely had his best players available is the caveat that should go down alongside a tournament record that reads one title and three sorry exits.

McCullum's first act as white-ball leader has been to bring the two sides closer together. Smith, Ben Duckett, Brydon Carse and Gus Atkinson are all Test players given limited-overs opportunities. The results cannot be deemed a success.

England will play only 10 Tests this year, having played 17 in 2024, and McCullum does not sound ready for change.

"Most other teams manage that, if you look at India's players and how they play cross-formats, look at Australia's fast bowling line-up, New Zealand are similar," he said.

"I'm hopeful that with some shrewd planning and a better understanding of what our player pool looks like, we'll be able to make sure we can get it across all formats, because that's ultimately what people that follow this team deserves."

Fix the need for speed

The damage caused by England's Champions Trophy campaign may not be consigned to three matches in eight days in Pakistan.

Mark Wood's knee injury could yet have serious consequences for their quest to regain the Ashes this winter.

If, as feared, he requires surgery, there have to be genuine concerns about how well the fast bowler can recover from going under the knife again aged 35.

Wood was picked for this tournament as part the current set-up's pace obsession.

That he, Jofra Archer, Jamie Overton, Atkinson and Saqib Mahmood - all capable of bowling at least 88mph - were picked is part of McCullum's plan to make fast bowling one of the USPs of English cricket. Again, this plan has not worked here.

McCullum will have half an eye on the next 50-over World Cup in southern Africa where fast, bouncy pitches should suit the ploy, but a T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka comes before then.

Who is the new-ball metronome to be the TikTok generation's Chris Woakes? Who will take middle-over wickets like Liam Plunkett or offer support to Archer at the death?

And spinner Rashid's replacement looks as far away as ever…

How to develop the next generation

That takes us to another issue that continues to disadvantage England. They have to find a generation of 50-over cricketers from a pool who are not playing the format.

The Hundred is not going anywhere. England need to find a solution to the problems it has caused rather than just throw their arms into the air.

The main issue is not giving youngsters a taste of 50-over cricket - the One-Day Cup will continue to do that while it is played as a development competition alongside The Hundred - but instead ensuring the talents spotted have enough competitive, challenging cricket to aid their progression afterwards.

This is where the Lions programme will be crucial.

Jacob Bethell, Jordan Cox, Tom Hartley and Carse all played in the Lions' last ODI in February 2023 and have gone on to varying degrees of success on the international stage.

Another solution would be to move the One-Day Cup and give England an advantage over their rivals.

No nation's players are currently playing a good amount of domestic one-day cricket. Were England to find a way, their rebuild could gain a jump start.