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.

For nearly a decade, cricket fans worldwide admired the legendary 'Fab Four': Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson, and Joe Root. These four players were the biggest faces in international cricket, across formats, for almost a decade, bombarding records with great consistency, technique, and leadership. However, as time passes, the once-invicible quartet is now showing signs of fading away, raising questions about the next era of cricketing greats.

The Fab Four In Tests
Test cricket has been the ultimate proving ground for these four marstros. Kohli's dominant captaincy and stroke play, Smith's unorthodox but very effective technique, Williamson's calmness, and Root's classical style make them a force to reckon with. However, with age comes a different team dynamic, slowly nearing the edge of this sheer joy. Though Root and Williamson continue to be key players for their teams, Smith and Kohli have, in more recent years, struggled to provide that consistency.

The Fab Four In ODIs
The Image in below post a noticeable shift - Smith has turned black and white, suggesting that he is no longer capable of using his own skills. While modern-day cricket embraces power-hitting and aggressive strike rates, the dominance of the Fab Four in ODIs has been challenged by rising stars such as Babar Azam and Shubman Gill. While Kohli is still as formidable as ever, his role continues to evolve, while Williamson and Root seem to be throwing in the towel and unable to maintain their high standards in ODIs.

The Fab-four are fading away 😢 pic.twitter.com/4bWDFpsdDP

— CricTracker (@Cricketracker) March 5, 2025

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The T20I Scenario of the Fab Four 
If there is one thing to take away from this image of T20 cricket, it is that the influential players of the format—Captain Kohli, Captain Smith, and Captain Root—all have reduced influences on T20. Power hitters and batting with a focus on the strike rate have largely edged out these players. Even though Williamson is hailed as an astute captain, he has not been hitting it big in terms of strike rates. As for Root, he has rarely made an appearance on the T20I stage.

The Future of the Fab Four 
Now as the Fab Four slowly dissolve, they leave behind unanswered questions: who will be winning these winks instead? Enter Babar Azam, Marnus Labuschagne, and Shubman Gill, who are already making their presence felt. But Kohli, Smith, Williamson, and Root will be an impossible feat to replicate. Cricket is in a state of transition.

Although the Fab Four show every sign of no longer being in their prime, their endeavors have forever inscribed them into history. Whether they will have a second innings or leave the scene gracefully will still play out. For now, it is the fans who can only turn back the pages of history and reminisce about the golden age they created.

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. 

Afghanistan eliminated England from the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and have stayed in the competition after a thrilling victory in the high-scoring Group B match on Wednesday (February 26) at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. 

It was a must-win game for both teams to stay in the tournament, as a defeat means elimination for both teams. Afghanistan's captain chose to bat first after winning the toss. While Afghanistan scored 325/7 in 50 overs, England were all out for 317 runs.

Ibrahim Zadran recorded highest score in ICC Champions Trophy history

England took Afghans' first three wickets in the first powerplay, as Jofra Archer got all those three wickets, and Afghanistan ended the first powerplay at 39/3. However, the opener Ibrahim Zadran played one of the most memorable innings of the tournament, while the captain Hashmatullah Shahidi (40), Azmatullah Omarzai (41), and Mohammad Nabi (40) provided strong support to Zadran. 

Zadran completed his sixth ODI century in 106 balls and 150 runs in 134 balls. After scoring 177 off 146 balls with the help of 12 fours and six sixes, Zadran was out in the final over. With that knock, the Afghan opener broke the highest individual score record in ICC Champions Trophy history, which the English opener Ben Duckett (165) recorded this tournament in their previous game against Australia.  Before his dismissal, Zadran had a 103-run partnership with the skipper Shahidi, a 72-run partnership with Omarzai, and a 111-run partnership with Nabi for the fourth, fifth, and sixth wickets, respectively. 

Among the English bowlers, Jofra Archer scalped three wickets (3/64), while Liam Livingstone (2/28) got two crucial wickets in the last over of the innings, where he dismissed set batters Zadran and Nabi. 

See Also: Jofra Archer breaks James Anderson's English ODI record

Joe Root's fighting century went in vain; Azmatullah Omarzai dominated with fifer

In reply, England were losing wickets at regular intervals. At powerplay, England scored 60/2. Ben Duckett scored 38 off 45 balls and had a crucial 68-run third-wicket partnership with Joe Root before losing his wicket. Harry Brook (25) and captain Jos Buttler (38) had some useful contributions, while Root had a 35-run partnership with Brook and another 83-run partnership with Buttler for the fourth and fifth wickets, respectively, but both the batters lost wickets when the English team was in the line to dominate as Root had to watch the tough scenes from the other end. 

In the last moment, Root had a crucial 54-run partnership with Jamie Overton for the seventh wicket, which helped the England team to return to the game. Root completed his 17th ODI century in 98 balls and was dismissed by Azmatullah Omarzai in the crucial 46th over. Before his dismissal, Root, who recorded his first ODI century since the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019, scored 120 off 111 balls with 11 fours and one six. 

Jamie Overton had a valuable contribution with 32 off 28 balls but the English side just fell short of the target, as they were all out for 317 runs. 

Among the Afghan bowlers, Azmatullah Omarzai claimed a fifer as he had bowling figures of 9.5-0-58-5. Also, Mohammad Nabi had an important role like the other supporting bowlers as the off-spinner recorded the bowling figures of 8-0-57-2. 

On the crucial day of the England cricket team in the Group B match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, the legendary English cricketer Joe Root recorded his 17th ODI century, and it was his first ODI hundred after the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. 

The Afghanistan vs England match is a very important match of the tournament as the winners will stay in the race for the semi-final qualifications and the losers will be eliminated before their last match of the group. After winning the toss, Afghanistan scored 325/7 in 50 overs, as Ibrahim Zadran powered with middle-order support guided the team to a challenging total after recovering from the first powerplay total of 39/3. 

Joe Root recorded his 17th ODI century, first after the World Cup 2019

In big chasing, England were losing wickets at regular intervals, which has been a regular scenario since Brendon McCullum's white-ball coaching era started. Joe Root joined the crease after England lost two quick wickets for 30 runs in 6.1 overs. Root had a 68-run partnership with the opener Ben Duckett for the third wicket. After Duckett was dismissed for 38 runs, Harry Brook (25) and captain Jos Buttler (38) lost their wickets at the crucial stages, while Root was fighting by completing his 50 runs in 50 balls.

Root fought hard while Jamie Overton provided good support for him for the seventh wicket, where they had a 54-run partnership. Root completed his century in 98 balls. It was his 17th ODI hundred but his first after the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019. Previously, the right-handed batter recorded an ODI hundred against West Indies during the league stage of the ODI World Cup 2019.  

Before the Afghan hero Azmatullah Omarzai took the wicket of Root in the 46th over, Root scored 120 off 111 balls with 11 fours and one six. England ultimately lost the game by eight runs.

See Also: Jofra Archer breaks James Anderson's English ODI record

Joe Root: First player to score more than one 120 or more runs knock in ICC Champions Trophy history

It was Root's second century in ICC Champions Trophy history. During the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 group-stage match against Bangladesh, Root scored 133 not out. With his latest century, he equalled the record for most centuries in ICC Champions Trophy history for England with Marcus Trescothik. On the other hand, with his latest 120 runs, Root became the first batter in ICC Champions Trophy history to score two 120 or more runs. 

The highly anticipated Australia vs England game of the Champions Trophy 2025 promises to be an electrifying match, pitting two of the most powerful cricketing teams against each other in a struggle for dominance. Both teams have put together very strong teams, combining experience with new talent, and this promises to be a thrilling contest for cricket enthusiasts everywhere

• Match: AUS vs. ENG
• Date: February 22, 2025
• Time: 2:30 PM Local Time (IST)
• Venue: Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, Pakistan

Live streaming details:

TV Broadcast Details

Online Streaming Platforms

ALSO READ:AUS vs ENG Today Match Prediction – Who Will Win? | Match 04, ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Preview & Analysis

Australia playing xi

Travis Head, Matthew Short, Steve Smith (c), Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Alex Carey (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Aaron Hardie, Sean Abbott, Spencer Johnson, Adam Zampa

England playing xi

Ben Duckett, Phil Salt, Jamie Smith (wk), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (c), Liam Livingstone, Brydon Carse, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid.

India and England host their final One Day International (ODI) on February 12, 2025 today. The match will be held at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad and start at 1:30 PM IST (Indian Standard Time. England will get at least one win in the 3-match series as India have clinched first 2 ties and now looking to avoid sweeps by England. 

Match Details:

• Date: 12th February, 2025
• Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
• Time: 1:30 PM IST

Live Streaming:

IN INDIA:

TV Broadcast: Star Sports Network

• English Commentary:

• Star Sports 2
• Star Sports 2 HD
• Star Sports 3

• Hindi Commentary:

• Sports 18 1
• Sports 18 1 HD
• Colors Cineplex
• Colors Cineplex HD

• Online Streaming: Disney+ Hotstar (app and website)

In the United States and Canada

• TV Broadcast: Willow TV
• Online Streaming: Willow TV App

In the United Kingdom

• TV Broadcast: Sky Sports Cricket
• Online Streaming: Sky Go App

In Australia

• TV Broadcast: Fox Sports
• Online Streaming: Kayo Sports

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Highlights: India lead the series after victories in the opening two ODIs. Captain Rohit Sharma plundered 100 runs in the second game and gave the team a confidence boost. Fans are also looking forward to Virat Kohli who is bang on the other end of getting to 14,000 ODI runs. 

India ODI squad:

Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakaravarthy.

England ODI squad:

Jos Buttler (c), Harry Brook, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Philip Salt, Jamie Smith, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Overton, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Saqib Mahmood, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.

India vs England's three-match ODI series is set to begin, while Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur will host the series opener this Thursday (February 6). England have confirmed their squad for the Nagpur ODI. 

After the hard experience in the recently concluded T20I series in the ongoing India tour, where England suffered a 4-1 series defeat, England are ready to begin their Bazball journey in the ODI format. It will be the first ODI for England under the head coach, Brendon McCullum. His Bazball theory has been criticized in the Test and T20I formats, and it will be interesting to see how the strategy works in the ODI format.

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Joe Root returns in ODI

As expected, the 34-year-old England star Joe Root is set to return in the ODI format after more than a year gap. Root last time served for the English ODI side during the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 when England faced Pakistan at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. It was also his last List A match. 

Gus Atkinson is still waiting for the ODI return

Meanwhile, the right-arm pacer Gus Atkinson, who last played an ODI in December 2023 against West Indies at Bridgetown, still has to wait for his ODI return.

England's Bazball will be tested in ODI series

During the recently concluded T20I series, English batters completely failed against the Indian spinners. The Indian cricket team is likely to maintain the spin-heavy theory against the dangerous English batters. Also, the Indian new-ball bowlers will again test the English top-order batters, who mostly failed in the T20I series. 

As India and England are ready to participate in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), starting on February 19, the three-match ODI series is an important series for the preparation. 

It will be England’s second ODI at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur. Their first ODI at this venue was against the Netherlands during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, where England won by six wickets after successfully chasing the 293-run target. 

England's playing XI for the Nagpur ODI

Phil Salt (wk), Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (Captain), Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Saqib Mahmood

The T20I series has now come to a close between the India and England match, expectations are growing high for their coming ODI series when the two champion sides meet. The series of three ODI matches will have time to prepare for the Champions Trophy 2025, beginning on February 19 in Pakistan and Dubai. India dominated the T20I series, winning 4-1, as England failed to answer India's spin attack. Varun Chakravarthy left the English batters with no answers for his skill and variations.

The three-match ODI series between India and England starts on February 6 at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur. The action will then shift to the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack for the second ODI on February 9. Finally, the series will conclude on February 12 at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. All matches will begin at 1:30 PM IST.

There are many players to look at in the three-match ODI series.

PLAYERS TO WATCH OUT IN IND vs ENG SERIES

1. Virat Kohli (IND)

Virat Kohli is 94 runs away from achieving the milestone of 14,000 ODI runs. Virat Kohli will become the quickest batter to reach 14,000 ODI runs. With the upcoming three-match ODI series against England, Kohli has a golden opportunity to set his name in the record books once again.

King played 3 ODIs since the World Cup 2023 against Australia. He has the greatest impact in the series watch out for his performance before the champions trophy.

2. Joe Root (ENG)

Joe Root took the ODI series against India as an important preparation for the Champions Trophy, which is scheduled to start on February 19 in Pakistan. As the excitement for the tournament grows, teams are turning their strategies. England, after losing the T20I series, is looking forward to getting back on track under Coach Brendon McCullum and making a strong statement in the 50-over format.

Root has been in the form of his Test cricket. Now, fans need to wait for Root to score in ODI format before the champion's trophy.

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3. Rohit Sharma (IND)

The captain is back in action after the loss in BGT. The Hit-man will make a big statement in the series before the champions trophy starts. Rohit played with great intent in World Cup and will looking the same in the champions trophy and the ODI series. If he gets going, he makes much impact to watch. Rohit's form is crucial for him and India.

Let's see him can he make the greatest intent in the series before the champions trophy?

4. Jos Buttler (ENG)

Following a 1-4 defeat in the T20I series, the England team captained by Jos Buttler will look to make a statement in the ODI series of their India tour. His attention need for England to make a strong comeback after a loss to India. He has been performing well over a year for England. But still, need a strong intent from him to win the ODI series to make a strong statement before the champions trophy. England's captain has the better strike to bat for long hours with scoring runs.

His impact will be crucial in the series against India.

5. Mohammad Shami (IND)

Mohammed Shami's performance value of impact to the Indian bowling unit in the ODI series is quite immense, primarily because of his experience, Average in economy, and control over swing. He can start games on the front foot and generate pressure till the end.

For a side like India,using Shami upon his return to action would most likely only strengthen their overall pace attack going into the rest of the matches.

His performance will impact the champion's trophy majorly.

SA20 League Explained: The Less Trivial Points System that makes truly Complex

South Africa not only has the most exciting cricket competition these days SA20 League but it is attracting world fans not just with its hot games but especially with a novel system of points. The SA20 Points table in it's South Africa points against such a league approach eschews that of most leagues.

What is the SA20 Points System

By default best team in SA20 wins the match with 4 points. Points can go up to 5 if the winning team overachieve in Net Run Rate (NRR) by more than +1.25 against N cases losing team 0 points in this situationNow when there is a valid loss, the standard amount of points is given to the runner up. Each time a match results, 2 points will be rewarded to both teams.Match ( Standard: The winning team gets 2 points, Losing team nil, tie 1 Point for each team )

Highlights (SA20 Points Table)

As of now, Paarl Royal is leading the SA20 league in the Points Table with 20 points after winning five out of seven matches, while the two-time champion Sunrisers Eastern Cape is second, with 19 points after winning four matches.

SA20 Points Table

Top Run scorer 

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