Joe Root has confirmed he is not in the running to become England’s next white-ball captain following Jos Buttler’s resignation after the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The 34-year-old batter, who led England’s Test team from 2017 to 2022, stated that his time as captain is over.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Root said, “I think that ship has sailed. I’ve done my time as a captain in an England shirt. I’m sure whoever gets the opportunity will be extremely proud and do a brilliant job.”

While Root never captained England in limited-overs formats, he returned to the ODI side this year and finished as one of the top performers in the Champions Trophy. He was England’s leading batter in the tournament, finishing as the fourth-highest run-scorer overall, and nearly took his team over the line in their final match against Afghanistan with a gritty century.

Despite his personal success, England endured a disappointing campaign, failing to reach the semifinals. Jos Buttler stepped down as captain shortly before their final group game against South Africa. Since then, England has yet to announce a new leader for the ODI side.

Among the contenders, vice-captain Harry Brook is currently seen as the front-runner. However, managing director Rob Key has hinted that Ben Stokes could be considered for the white-ball captaincy, potentially uniting both red and white-ball leadership under one figure. Brendon McCullum has not ruled out the option of having separate captains for ODIs and T20Is.

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Root acknowledged England’s recent struggles but remains confident in the squad’s potential. “We didn’t play anywhere near what we’re capable of. But there’s so much talent and so much more to come. This is a good opportunity to reset and move forward as a group.”

Despite not being a regular in England’s T20I squad since 2019, Root's form in franchise cricket has drawn attention. He impressed in this year’s SA20 tournament with the Paarl Royals, scoring 279 runs at an average of 55.80 and a strike rate of 140.20.

Looking ahead, Root turned his focus to the upcoming Test summer, starting with a five-match series against India at home from June 20. The series will kick off the new cycle of the World Test Championship.

“India coming over means there’s no hiding place. It’s a long series, and we’ll need to deliver match-winning performances consistently,” Root said.

With Root stepping aside from the leadership conversation, England’s white-ball future now rests on the next generation to take the team forward.

Karun Nair may be returning to the India A team for the tour to England since he was last part of the Indian set-up in 2018. Coming back to the fold would represent a remarkable step for him considering he has not played international cricket since 2018.

The 33-year old sprinter is remembered for the phenomenal 303 not out he scored against England during a Test in Channai in 2016. During the 2023-24 season Nair scored more than 600 runs achieving multiple 100’s that highlighted his form while competing in the Ranji Trophy and cemented his claim for a return into the Indian setup.

While hoping to secure a spot in the Indian National Team the England tour will also test his technique and discipline. In addition, considering the current state of the Indian team his performance could help him earn a spot in the senior team and would be very favorable for him.

🚨 KARUN NAIR FOR ENGLAND TOUR 🚨

- Karun Nair likely to be included in the India A team for the England tour. [PTI] pic.twitter.com/9ryPIwnj1f

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) March 27, 2025

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There is hope from fans that this tour will help Nair resurrect his career which has seen him go through troubled waters of competition, consistency and emerging victorious with a triple century. Nair makes for a compelling story especially with a strong performance in England coupled with Indias packed Test calendar along with many young players looking to solidify their claim. 

A tour of Nair is an awesome avenue for him to exhibit his worth to add a supplementary chapter to his inspiring cricketing. The devoted crowd will not leave any stone unturned, as they will be eyeing not only his performance but also will be eager to know if he is creating an argument in favor of him being back to the national squad.

IPL 2025 season is just under way for hours to go, there have been several changes in this season some players have left the team and some have reunited with the team. Same as happened to Csk where their old player Sam Curran has joined the team after the season of 2023,his significant role as all rounder to the team gave an added benifit to the team. 

Sam Curran as all rounder gave some match winning performances where the partnership between him and Dhoni was yet remembered, Csk has back then invested in lots of all rounders like Flintoff, Dwayne Bravo, Moeen Ali and Sam Curran it gives an ellite advantage to the to play an extra batter and bowler to the team. It will as good for Sam Curran to have a good Ipl season with Chennai as he is also away from his national team to get into it. 

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Sam Curran Ommission From The Team

Sam Curran has been out from the England team since last November despite being good in the t20s and ODI he was been sidelined from the team his contribution to the triumph of the 2022 T20 World Cup for England, even though there was some criticism for the cricket board too for neglecting him. Even though his omission in the Champions Trophy was too in speculation. For England Sam has played some exceptional innings around these years. 

Earlier Sam Curran was bought by Csk in 2023 for 18.5 crores, he was the most expensive player at that time. Sam Curran all all-around performance helped ask to clinch their fifth trophy. His great finish against the Punjab Kings in league stages and sometimes valuable in the bowling department where sometimes he used some tough lines and got important wickets too. 

Sam Curran Back To Csk Team

Sam Curran is bought by the Csk team once again after the season of 2023. Sam is excited to be back with Csk as he thinks that his valuable contribution to the team will be the gateway to the England team he has too expressed his thoughts My main aim is probably just to get back into the (England white-ball) side. With England, I guess I've never really found that perfect role. In the Champions Trophy and the series in India (at the start of 2025), there was no hiding that they stacked the batting in terms of playing a lot of batters and those extra quicks.

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I feel like if I get my role right with England, I'll get back into it, who knows what will happen now? The cliche of (needing) runs and wickets is no debate; I've got to keep doing that. I feel in a good space. I was gutted when it happened, but I'm still pretty young and feel like I have matured when it comes to handling the bad stuff.

Being a bit more experienced and reading situations better, I hope I can get back into the team. There is only one way (to do that), hopefully, I can have a really good IPL and see where we are in the summer. If he gets clicked in IPL it will route to the national team, The IPL season begins tomorrow and Csk will be playing their first match against Mumbai on 23 March in Chepauk Stadium. 

India won the Champions Trophy 2025 with a collective team effort. On their Champions Trophy triumph there were mixed views around the world. India and New Zealand played the final starting with New Zealand winning the toss and elected to bat first. New Zealand had a good opening partnership of 70 which was broken by Chakravarthy, New Zealand were trapped by Indian spin but Darryl Mitchell and Bracewell half century commanded a respectable total of 251 runs. 

It could be a tricky chase because in the previous league match same thing happened where India batted first and were restricted to 249 but indian spinners pulled out the game from New Zealand kudos to Varun Chakravarthy whose fifer saved India that day. So it was estimated that it would also be a tuff chase to posses because New Zealand too had the same fire power. 

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India pulled it over.

India's chase was a sweet story where Rohit Sharma and Subhman Gill gave a 100-run partnership but once they got out, things began to spice up with Kohli's early wicket, the game began to open but Iyer and Rahul continued the chase Iyer departed to well made 48 with Axar controlling the wicket flow by the n India were near to the target but soon Axar lose his wicket with Pandya and Rahul cruising near victory. 

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With Jadeja finishing things off with a four, India won the Champions Trophy for the third time most by any team and won the trophy after 12 years of wait which they missed in 2017. Rohit Sharma was the soul of the chase after their victory cricket fertility congratulated those who were criticising them few for Dubai's advantage. 

Micheal Vaughan Change of words After The Win

Ace cricketer Micheal Vaughan was one of them who criticised India for seeking the advantage of being in a single venue and troubling other teams to travel. This sparked controversy and a few of ex cricketers also stated this. This issue started when India refused to travel to Pakistan who were the hosts of the Champions Trophy stating security reasons. And played all their matches in Dubai. Now after India's win Micheal Vaughan's words have been changed. 

Micheal Vaughan states that Lets be honest India are, the best team in the white ball cricket by a decent margin. Throughly deserved to, win... T20 holders/Champions Trophy holders. .. Now down to rest to try and catch up. Its no hiding that India made their full effort and earned the trophy. Micheal Vaughan change of words has been in the centre of trolls. 

IPL is on its way and teams are gearing up for their upcoming matches and venues. Mumbai Team had a good auction this year, But there have been certain injury concerns earlier Allah Ghazanfar was ruled out due to injury and replaced by Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Now there is another blow for Mumbai Indians where their pacer Reece Topely may be ruled out due to Groin's injury while playing in BPL for Sylhet Strikers and withdraw from the tournament early. 

Soon he flew to England for immediate treatment  for the cure,but the latest reports have suggested he still on recovery process which is suspected that he may be unavailable for Mumbai Indians for the upcomimg IPL season of 2025. Mumbai bought Reece Topley at the price of 75 lakhs . The major concern for Topley is he lacks match fitness due to injuries. 

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Major Injury Concerns For Topley

Reece Topley is a good fast bowler who bowls left arm fast bowling and has a tendency to swing the ball both ways and the depth he creates in his bowling adds pressure on batsmam thats why he is considered as good asset. But though he posses so much talent but due to injuries he is always been sidelined. He has not played much for England too in past match England toured West Indies where he injured his ankle and went to the dugout. 

He was at such an anger that he blasted a chair where 15 per cent of match fees were fined.  Last year too he didn't play much competitive cricket he was gearing up for the PSL season where he was playing for Multan Sultan but didn't get NOC from the England and Wales Board. The same thing happened in IPL too where he was bought by RCB but didn't take part in it. Though his injury was minor as he caught up with a niggle only board didn't want to take the risk as the T20 world cup too was nearing and they were the current champions at that time. 

What Would Be Mumbai's Next Move

Reece Topley would be considered as major factor for their home games as Wankade Stadium is quite far away from sea so the air travels frequently and it helps the bowlers the most and being a left armer is an huge advantage as mentioned earlier he can swing the ball both ways which can turn out to huge advantage. 

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For Mumbai Topley was a absolute steal who came into a consderable budget , but Mumbai would have researched about him fully because mostly he is injury proned.  Now as he is not available Mumbai line up looks thin and Bumrah too has to recover yet, so there is a huge gap they have to fill. 

Jos Butler had a pretty bad season in Champions Trophy where they have lost all of their matches which is considered as serious downfall of England Cricket team. They had this type of rough patch earlier too. But the patch to be consider again is definitely to be addressed, what is the thing or the trick which England really lacking. They have the best asset in the line up but yet having they are lacking something. 

 Butler has been the good captain for England but whether he is far good enough to take on tuff decision or a tricky waver it is definitely question to ask. Though at initial he was a way different captain which is been compared today. 

Butler Initial Stages And Captaincy Mark

Butler started his cricket from his early childhood days and the keen interest persuaded him to attract towards it. Soon he was into his divisions and became integral part of England team. Where he debuted around 2011 against India and been a key member to the team as a middle order wicket keeper batsman. Though England continously attracted to bad phase despite having good performances. 

Then England reframed their playing structure into aggressive module with Eoin Morgan as captain which really benifited them with 2019 ODI World Cup. After Morgan exit Butler was the front runner for captaincy and  he was named England's white ball captain. 

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The World Cup Triumph

 After attaining captaincy Butler just gave his good performance with bat and through his captaincy skills. The next big assignment for England team was to win the T20 world Cup in 2022. Butler and his co were ready for this hefty challenge to take. 

 They outclassed the tournament with the great spirit, though the league face had some ups and downs though England manage to reach the finals which was to be played against Pakistan which was in red hot form at that time. Though England managed to beat them were and became champions. 

The Painful Downfall Of Butler

After having a great tournament in 2022 after it was just slopping down for Jos Butler. After that it was just pure drought Butler form was to dipping, losing series at continous level, Early exit of ODI defending champions. It was like they were losing the spark. Sometime it cleary depicted that Butler couldn't use his context whether to move with aggressive pace or to do different with his creativity.

Read More: Afghanistan A True Inspiration To Cricket Fertinity

Buttler led the England team in 39 One Day International matches, securing 18 wins and suffering 20 losses. With a win percentage of 46.15%. In T20Is, Buttler had a slightly good record, leading England into 51 matches, with 26 wins and 22 losses, with a win percentage of 50.98%. 

In every aspect of the game they used to be aggressive time worked and sometimes it drastically fell. Soon it was an early exit in the 2024 T20 World Cup. If one gets affected automatically it affects the other same thing happened to Butler once the captaincy tickled the batting performance too detorited. Now in 2025, they had lost the first game against Australia though scoring above 350 plus still lost the match. Against Afghanistan 8 runs lost and today too they got beaten by South Africa. This resulted in Butler's resignation as captain of England after the Champions Trophy. 

It was an epic encounter between England and Afghanistan it was a do-or-die match for both team where they entered this match with a loss, where Afghanistan was beaten by South Africa and England was beaten by Australia so it was a quarter-final between both of these teams, the one who wins the game stays and the other has to go home. 

England had the advantage where they had beaten Afghanistan 2 times in this format but Afghanistan is a team that can't be written off they can beat any team on a given day. Afghanistan have also beaten England once that too in the 2023 World Cup which happened in India. So underestimating Afghanistan is at your own risk. 

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Zadran Brilliant Century Made A Base 

This was much anticipated match where both the teams were entering with a loss. Afghanistan won the toss and Captain Sahidi choose to bat first. At the start of innings they had a thought whether they committed a mistake. But Zadran kept the things go on. Because they lost the wicket of Gurbaaz who went cheaply and rest of few too went early but partnership between Zadran and Sahidi went on. 

Afghanistan was back on track soon where Zadran was looking in elite touch dispatching bad balls to the boundary and rotating the strike as well so the scoreboard stood ticking. Soon Sahidi got out then Azmatullah joined the party with Zadran it was no stopping for him. Zadran scored a brilliant century which was his first but he didn't stop there after his century he rolled over English bowlers more aggressively. He scored a brilliant 177 runs facing 146 balls. He was well supported by Nabi too. With a collective effort Afghanistan scored 325 runs with a loss of 7 wickets. 

Azmatullah Omarzai The Warrior For Afghanistan

IIn the previous match it was England bowling who costed them the match though scoring a mamoth total of 350 above runs they lost the match against Australia, Thanks to the innings of Josh Inglis who just not scored a quick century but ensured Australia seal the match. So here England too had a dangerous batting and it was chasable total in Lahore. But things were looking differently for England here. 

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They lost 2 wickets at the score of 30 pressure started to mount on for England as Omarzai started the damage. Though Joe Root was batting beautifully at one the other wickets were piling up. Before reaching 150 England lost 4 wickets., then a steady partnership between Root and Butler came where they developed an 83-run partnership where Root too completed his brilliant century. Soon Butler departed for 38 and Livingston came to rebuild the damage a 53-run partnership between them gave England solidity. But Azmatullah took root off and it was the nail in the coffin. 

Root departed for 120 runs then it was no stopping for Afghanistan they took the wickets quickly and even England too was nearing the chase so it was on a stage who did it first either Afghanistan would all out England or England's batsman would make a, steal. In the end, Jofra Archer tried too hard too but it was too late it seemed as if England were bowled out at the end with 8 runs remaining to score last 20 minutes were an absolute thriller either who would win and Afghanistan players held their nerves and won the match and pushed their chances forward. Azmatullah  Omarzai took 5 wickets and was the leader of the bowling pack. With this England had been out of Champions Trophy 2025, Where Ibrahim Zadran was awarded with Man Of The Match award. 

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is contemplating a strategy to keep players engaged with red-ball cricket throughout the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. This is before India's five-Test series in England in June-July, following the IPL. The scheme might involve players showing up at "occasional red-ball practice sessions" or other bizarre pursuits of some players.

🚨 RED BALL PRACTICE DURING IPL 🚨

- BCCI is working on a strategy to ensure players remain in touch with Test cricket ahead of England tour, it is likely that players might be ask for occasional practice with red ball during IPL. [Cricbuzz] pic.twitter.com/qil9BUrUwG

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) February 25, 2025

ALSO SEE:  Shoaib Akhtar slams PCB Management For Poor Team Handling

The BCCI plans to not let the players lose touch with Test cricket during the two-month-long IPL tournament, to be held between March 22 and May 25.
The very specifics of the plan have yet to be known.
However, preliminary discussions of this twin-track approach have already been made by prominent players from the Indian team management and BCCI planners in Dubai.
The BCCI's decision to keep players engaged with red-ball cricket during the IPL season is in response to India's recent Test performance.
The team has not won a single Test series in England recently. The trend features a 4-0 loss in 2011, a 3-1 loss in 2014, and a 4-1 loss in 2018.
India earned their first away Test series draw in England (2-2 in 2021). It was split due to COVID-19, with the last Test won by England a year later.

England and Australia are considered two dominant forces in cricket fertility. The fiery battle of Ashes is always known for these two nations' competitiveness which they integrate and with the same intensity they play their ODI matches too. It's similar to Asian countries like India and Pakistan which drills you at the edge of your seat. 
Their Rivalry started in 1877 when both nations combined for the first to play for the glory and they kept the series name as Ashes. The intensity with which the matches are played made it a huge blockbuster. The arrogant talks, nasty blows, chit chats and the passion that the players possess for it, look really remarkable. 
The Battle Continues In Champions Trophy
The intense battle between these two teams didn't stop till the test it grew more in the ODI and when it comes to the Champions Trophy both teams have been at their best. Whenever these teams have collided entertainment has been guaranteed. Both England and Australia have faced each other 6 times in the Champions Trophy. Where England had the upper hand in that. 
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2002 Champions Trophy - Group stage match: England won.
2004 Champions Trophy - Group stage match: Australia won.
2006 Champions Trophy - Group stage match: England won.
2009 Champions Trophy - Final match: Australia won.
2013 Champions Trophy - Group stage match: England won.
2017 Champions Trophy - Group stage match: England won.
 Though England has the upper hand for sure Australia has the trophies which keeps them ahead of England. Most of the wins in which England persist in Group Stages. 
Clash Of Titans
The Champions Trophy is on its way and three of the matches have been blockbusters. Today it's been Australia Vs England and it's their seventh encounter between them. Australia won the toss and chose to bowl but it seemed they would regret it as England cruised the mark of 300 plus. 
Till Now England has posted 316 runs with the loss of 5 wickets. Ben Duckett has scored a superb century and still going on the score of 161, supported by Joe Root (68). The range of hitting displayed by England is a furious one. Still, England has three overs left in batting, and Australia has a lot of work to do when they come to chase. But Australia too have that firepower by which they can chase the target. 

The highly anticipated 4th match of the 2025 Champions Trophy will feature England and Australia clashing at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on Saturday, February 22, 2025.

Australia has had a challenging run recently, suffering a series of defeats, including losses to Sri Lanka and Pakistan. The team has struggled to find consistent form, with their most recent wins coming in a hard-fought encounter against Pakistan. While they’ve faced some tough competition, Australia will be determined to bounce back and make an impact in the Champions Trophy.

England, on the other hand, has had a difficult time in their recent ODIs, particularly against India, suffering three consecutive losses by significant margins. Their defeats were marked by dominant performances from India, who outclassed England in each match. Despite these recent losses, England will be hoping to regroup and put up a strong challenge against Australia in their upcoming clash.

Head-to-Head : Australia vs England 

Australia and England have a long-standing rivalry, having faced each other 161 times in ODIs, with Australia holding a strong advantage, having won 91 matches compared to England's 65 victories and tw tied games. Three of their encounters have ended without a definite result. In their last five meetings, Australia has come out on top three times, while England has won twice. Despite some recent setbacks, both teams will be eager to perform at their best when they face off in the Champions Trophy.
In their last five meetings in the Champions Trophy, England has come out on top three times, while Australia has won twice. Both teams have had competitive encounters, with each looking to assert dominance in the prestigious tournament. Their rivalry in the Champions Trophy has been marked by high-stakes matches, and with both sides boasting strong line-ups, future encounters promise to be just as thrilling.

Both Sides met in  between England and Australia in the 2017 Champions Trophy saw England win by 40 runs using the D/L method. In a rain-affected match, Australia posted 277/9, while England, chasing a revised target, managed to reach 240/4. The win helped England secure a place in the final, and the match remains a significant part of their recent Champions Trophy history.

Australia vs England : Head-to-Head records in ODIS

Australia vs England : Head-to-Head records in Champions Trophy