Jos Buttler replaces Eoin Morgan as England white-ball captain

Jos Buttler will “take his game to a new level”, predicted Rob Key, after the 31-year-old was named as Eoin Morgan’s replacement as the captain of England’s white-ball team.

Buttler has been promoted from the vice-captaincy having initially been given that role – at Morgan’s request – ahead of the 2015 ODI World Cup. He was only 24 at the time, and his captaincy experience amounted to one game for Somerset’s second XI and another for England’s Under-18s. “Jos has been an unbelievably good vice-captain while I’ve been captain,” Morgan said. “When he’s stepped in he’s been an exceptional leader, and within the group he commands tremendous respect.”

He has already led England in 14 matches across seven years, most recently in the third ODI against the Netherlands last week, with Morgan injured and freshly resolved to step down. His appointment concludes a period of unprecedented flux for England’s international sides, with both red- and white-ball teams now working under different coaches and captains to those that ended 2021.

Buttler described Morgan as “an inspirational leader”, adding that “there are lots of things that I have learned from him that I’ll take into this role”. Neither he nor Matt Motts, who was named white-ball coach last month, is likely to propose a significant shift to the approach that won England the 2019 ODI World Cup and has them ranked No 2 in both formats.

“Jos will continue the ethos and mindset that Morgs brought to us from 2015 so I honestly don’t think you’ll see anything change,” said Ben Stokes, the new Test captain. “It is Jos’s time to take the team forward and I’m pretty sure it will be pretty much the same as Morgs left it.”

Buttler will be immediately thrown into a hectic period for his