England’s star batter Jos Buttler decided to step down as England’s white-ball captain after the team’s disappointing performance in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. In his last game as captain, he is leading the team against South Africa in the tournament’s final group match. Since he has resigned, now England needs to find a new leader for their T20 and ODI teams. Let’s take a look at three strong contenders who might fill Buttler’s shoes in the limited over format.
Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes is already England’s Test captain. Despite suffering from a hamstring injury that kept him out of the Champions Trophy, Stokes is known for his leadership skills and fighting spirit on the field. Throughout his career, Stokes has faced injuries but has always found a way back. He has a good partnership with coach Brendon McCullum who turned into the all-format coach of the unit recently. Both coach and player share a good chemistry and this makes Stokes a top choice for leading the white-ball team as well. Stokes’s captaincy could bring a fresh approach and inspire the team to perform better in future tournaments.
Harry Brook
Harry Brook might be young, but he has already made a name for himself in all formats of cricket. At just 26 years old, Brook has shown leadership capabilities. He captained England during the ODI series against Australia in 2024, where he scored an impressive 312 runs with an average of 78 and a strike rate of 127.9. He has also captained England during his tenure as the under-19 player, including in a World Cup as well. Also, many cricket pundits like Nasser Hussain too believe that he’s an obvious choice for the job.
More on cricket
- ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Points Table: Latest Standings of Group A, B, C and D
- ICC T20 World Cup 2026 most runs & wickets: Tim Seifert & Shadley van Schalkwyk lead the charts
![Suryakumar Yadav enters ICC Top 10 T20I rankings before T20 World Cup 2026]()
- India’s spin-playing ability under scanner, Pakistan could exploit weakness on Feb 15
![PM Shehbaz Sharif reveals why Pakistan won't play against India at T20 World Cup 2026]()
Liam Livingstone
Liam Livingstone, an all-rounder with a lot of experience in the shorter formats, is another strong candidate to replace Buttler. Having played 98 matches for England in white-ball cricket, Livingstone has plenty of experience under his belt. He has also featured in over 300 T20 games. Given his experience and versatility, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) might consider handing the captaincy duties to Livingstone.
Cricket
Black clouds over IND vs PAK T20 World Cup clash, as Sri Lanka issues Colombo weather warning
