England's white-ball cricket finds itself at a crossroads after their latest setback in an ICC tournament following a heartbreaking defeat to Afghanistan in the Champions Trophy in Lahore on Wednesday.
Jos Buttler's team suffered their second straight defeat in a major 50-over tournament, losing a tense match at the Qaddafi Stadium by eight runs.
The Afghans had famously defeated England in the 2023 ODI World Cup as well, which was also a disastrous campaign for the Englishmen.
Buttler's men were hopeful of putting up a good show in the Champions Trophy, given their familiarity with conditions in Pakistan following multiple tours by their players for various levels of competitions.
After losing to Australia in their tournament opener in Pakistan, England needed to defeat the Afghans to stay in the competition. However, they let their opponents off the hook after having Afghanistan at 37-3.
The latest defeat sealed a second group-phase exit in the last three ICC tournaments under Buttler's leadership.
England had also failed to defend their T20 world title last year in the Caribbean.
Buttler said he will discuss his future as white-ball captain with the management, although the belief is that the time is right for the team to move in a fresh direction under new leadership.
"I think obviously the results are not where they need to be and personally need to consider all possibilities and get us as a team where England cricket needs to be in the white-ball format," Buttler said.
"Need to work out personally [whether] am I part of the problem or am I part of the solution."
When pressed further about whether he would consider his future as captain in the days to come, Buttler said "yes".
"As I said I am not going to make any emotional decisions right here, right now," he added.
"[I will] take a little bit of time to work out personally what I think is right and the guys at the top, they are in charge, they will have their own views as well."
Buttler has been unable to replicate England's success as captain of the white-ball team since he led them to a T20 World Cup title in 2022.
England won only three of their nine matches as defending champions at the 50-over World Cup in India in 2023.
The team faltered in the semi-final of last year's T20 World Cup and recently suffered a 3-0 ODI whitewash in India ahead of the Champions Trophy.
However, Buttler said leading the team still gives him a lot of joy.
"It's had it's moments for sure," he said of his time as England captain. "A lot of people think it doesn't sit well with me being captain, but I enjoy leading. Even before I was not captain, I thought of myself as a leader in the team but results are tough and they weigh heavy at times.
"And of course you want to be leading a winning team and we haven't been that for a while now. Obviously that brings some difficult moments."
However, Buttler did not receive similar views from those outside the team.
Former England captain Nasser Hussain told Sky Sports that Buttler was a popular figure in the team but captaincy is not quite working out for him.
"If you're having to consider all options, that probably tells me the option is to let it go," he said. "That can be the most difficult thing to do."
Michael Atherton, another former England skipper, said stepping down would be the right call after their failure at major ICC events.
"England do judge themselves on these ICC events, they've made that very clear, that because they come along so frequently now, they build towards these tournaments.
"But England have had three bad ones in a row now, the disastrous 50-over World Cup in India, a poor T20 World Cup in the Caribbean - where they made the semis but they didn't beat anybody of note through it - and now here, and their cricket is way below the standards which they set themselves," Atherton said.
"Sometimes you just have to say it's not working and therefore it's time for a change and time for somebody else. And I think deep down, he probably knows that."
On Wednesday, Afghanistan sent England packing after opener Ibrahim Zadran's epic 177 set up their narrow win. Zadran produced the highest score in the tournament's history to help Afghanistan overcome Jofra Archer's three early wickets and rack up 325-7.
Joe Root's classy 120 kept England alive in the chase until the 46th over but Afghanistan chipped away with regular wickets, eventually bowling them out for 317 with one ball left in the innings.
All-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai scored a quick 41 to help the Afghans recover before turning up the heat with the ball, finishing with 5-58 to seal a famous win.
England face South Africa in their final group match in Karachi on Saturday.
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World Cricket League Division 2
In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.
UAE fixtures
Thursday February 8, v Kenya; Friday February 9, v Canada; Sunday February 11, v Nepal; Monday February 12, v Oman; Wednesday February 14, v Namibia; Thursday February 15, final
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
PROVISIONAL FIXTURE LIST
Premier League
Wednesday, June 17 (Kick-offs uae times) Aston Villa v Sheffield United 9pm; Manchester City v Arsenal 11pm
Friday, June 19 Norwich v Southampton 9pm; Tottenham v Manchester United 11pm
Saturday, June 20 Watford v Leicester 3.30pm; Brighton v Arsenal 6pm; West Ham v Wolves 8.30pm; Bournemouth v Crystal Palace 10.45pm
Sunday, June 21 Newcastle v Sheffield United 2pm; Aston Villa v Chelsea 7.30pm; Everton v Liverpool 10pm
Monday, June 22 Manchester City v Burnley 11pm (Sky)
Tuesday, June 23 Southampton v Arsenal 9pm; Tottenham v West Ham 11.15pm
Wednesday, June 24 Manchester United v Sheffield United 9pm; Newcastle v Aston Villa 9pm; Norwich v Everton 9pm; Liverpool v Crystal Palace 11.15pm
Thursday, June 25 Burnley v Watford 9pm; Leicester v Brighton 9pm; Chelsea v Manchester City 11.15pm; Wolves v Bournemouth 11.15pm
Sunday June 28 Aston Villa vs Wolves 3pm; Watford vs Southampton 7.30pm
Monday June 29 Crystal Palace vs Burnley 11pm
Tuesday June 30 Brighton vs Manchester United 9pm; Sheffield United vs Tottenham 11.15pm
Wednesday July 1 Bournemouth vs Newcastle 9pm; Everton vs Leicester 9pm; West Ham vs Chelsea 11.15pm
Thursday July 2 Arsenal vs Norwich 9pm; Manchester City vs Liverpool 11.15pm
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David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
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Sheikh Zayed's poem
When it is unveiled at Abu Dhabi Art, the Standing Tall exhibition will appear as an interplay of poetry and art. The 100 scarves are 100 fragments surrounding five, figurative, female sculptures, and both sculptures and scarves are hand-embroidered by a group of refugee women artisans, who used the Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery art of tatreez. Fragments of Sheikh Zayed’s poem Your Love is Ruling My Heart, written in Arabic as a love poem to his nation, are embroidered onto both the sculptures and the scarves. Here is the English translation.
Your love is ruling over my heart
Your love is ruling over my heart, even a mountain can’t bear all of it
Woe for my heart of such a love, if it befell it and made it its home
You came on me like a gleaming sun, you are the cure for my soul of its sickness
Be lenient on me, oh tender one, and have mercy on who because of you is in ruins
You are like the Ajeed Al-reem [leader of the gazelle herd] for my country, the source of all of its knowledge
You waddle even when you stand still, with feet white like the blooming of the dates of the palm
Oh, who wishes to deprive me of sleep, the night has ended and I still have not seen you
You are the cure for my sickness and my support, you dried my throat up let me go and damp it
Help me, oh children of mine, for in his love my life will pass me by.
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Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final second leg:
Juventus 1 Ajax 2
Ajax advance 3-2 on aggregate
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
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Sustainable Development Goals
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
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16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5