Jos Buttler quits as England white-ball skipper after CT exit
Karachi, Feb 28 (PTI): Jos Buttler on Friday said he will step down as England white-ball captain after their last Champions Trophy group match against South Africa on Saturday, taking responsibility for his team's exit from the eight-team tournament.
England crashed out of the eight-team Champions Trophy after losing to Afghanistan on Wednesday. They play against South Africa in their last Group B match here on Saturday.
"I'm going to stand down as England captain. It's the right decision for me and the team," the 34-year-old Buttler said at a press conference here.
"It's quite clear. This tournament was important, results-wise, for my captaincy, and obviously, two losses and being out of the tournament, with a bit of a hangover from past tournaments, I think it just probably reached the end of the road for me and my captaincy, which is a shame," he said.
After taking over as white-ball captain in June 2022 following the retirement of Eoin Morgan, Buttler led England to glory in that year's T20 World Cup in Australia.
However, his tenure also saw two disappointing title defences -- the 2023 50-over World Cup in India where England failed to make the semifinals after losing to Afghanistan and Sri Lanka.
In the T20 World Cup, they lost to the eventual winners India in the semifinal in the Caribbean last year.
"It's the right decision for me, for the team. Hopefully, somebody else can come in and work closely alongside Baz (coach Brendon McCullum) to take the team back to where it needs to be," he added.
Buttler has captained England in 44 ODIs, securing 18 wins and 25 losses, and recording one no result. His T20 record is slightly better, with 26 wins, 22 losses, and three no results from 51 matches.
"With Brendon coming in recently, I was really excited to work closely alongside him and hoped for a very quick turnaround to take the team forward. But it's not quite worked out that way. So, yeah, it just feels like it's the right time for me and also for the team to have a change," he said.
No retirement yet
Buttler, however, said there is no retirement in the pipeline for him as he wants to "get back to really enjoying" his cricket.
"Maybe in time, it will be... I think sort of overriding emotions are still there, sort of sadness and and disappointment, but I'm sure in time that will pass.
"I can get back to really enjoy my cricket, and also I'll be able to reflect on what an immense honour it is to captain your country and all the special things that come with it."
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Ikkis box office Day 1: Agastya Nanda’s war drama earns ₹7 crore, beats trade projections
Mumbai: Ikkis, the latest war drama directed by Sriram Raghavan, has delivered a stronger-than-expected opening at the box office, earning an estimated ₹7 crore net in India on its first day, Hindustan Times reported on Friday.
The film, starring Agastya Nanda, opened in theatres on January 1 across nearly 4,000 screens nationwide. Trade analysts had earlier projected a modest opening of ₹2–2.5 crore, especially given stiff competition from Dhurandhar, which continues to perform strongly at the box office.
Despite these expectations, Ikkis exceeded projections by nearly three times, helped largely by positive word of mouth. As per the report, the film had around 12% occupancy in the morning shows across the country, which jumped to 35% by afternoon, and 47% in the evening, indicating growing audience interest as the day progressed.
While Dhurandhar dominated the day with a reported ₹15 crore collection, trade observers note that Ikkis holding its ground amid such competition is a promising sign, particularly for its performance over the extended opening weekend.
Ikkis is based on the life of Arun Khetarpal, the youngest recipient of India’s highest gallantry award, the Param Vir Chakra. The film chronicles Khetarpal’s exploits and bravery during the 1971 India-Pakistan War. Agastya plays Khetarpal in the film.
While screen legend Dharmendra appears as his father in his final performance, Dharmendra died a little over a month before the film’s release. Ikkis is also among the final films of the late Asrani, who also died late last year. The film also stars Jaideep Ahlawat and Deepak Dobriyal.
