Lahore [Pakistan], February 27 : Jos Buttler refrained from making an "emotional decision" about his captaincy future after England's Champions Trophy campaign ended on a heartbreaking note in Lahore.
England and Afghanistan stepped inside the picturesque Gaddafi Stadium to play out a clash that was bound to determine their fates in the Champions Trophy.
When stakes and pressure soared past the roof, Ibrahim Zadran channelled his peak form and shattered records en route to 177(146), lifting Afghanistan to 325/7 in the first inning.
In reply, England didn't have enough firepower to blaze their way to a daunting 326-run target and saw their challenge for the Champions Trophy crumble in the group stage.
The slender 8-wicket defeat was England's fifth ODI defeat on the trot under Buttler's captaincy. Disappointed in the English camp, Buttler held back from deciding his future.
"Don't want to make any emotional decisions. But I think for myself and the other guys at the top, we should consider all possibilities," Buttler said in the post-match presentation.
"Disappointing to be knocked out of the tournament early. We had our chances in the game but didn't take them. The last 10 overs got away from us a bit. Credit to Ibrahim. He played a fantastic innings. 113 off the last 10 pushed them up to a very good score on that pitch," he added.
England's woes increased after tearaway Mark Wood showed signs of discomfort while midway through his fourth over. Moments later, the England physio tended to Wood and was seen helping the speedster stretch his left knee. Wood went on to finish his over before he went off the field.
Wood displayed a valiant character and returned to the field to bowl four more overs. He could be seen in discomfort and eventually returned to the dressing room following the 43rd over.
In the absence of Wood, Buttler entrusted his faith in Joe Root and Liam Livingstone to see off the climax of the first innings. While Root spilt 23 runs in the 47th over, Livingstone put a lid on Afghanistan's scoring rate in the final. He conceded a mere two runs and scythed two scalps to end the inning on a positive note.
"Unfortunately, in his 4th over, he (Wood) felt his knee. Credit to him for bowling through the pain and showing a lot of character. It was difficult (in the death overs with Wood injured and Root bowling the 47th over); Livingstone was also off the field, but credit to him for coming back," he said.
In pursuit of 326, Joe Root waged a lone war and found little support from the other end. He dug deep and battled throughout his innings with a fighting 120(111). His efforts went in vain as the pressure caught up to England's tail-end.
"Root played an unbelievable innings, and we needed one of the top six batters to stay with him. He (Root) has been a brilliant player in all formats and showed us the way to handle the pressure. His ODI record is fantastic. If I knew I wouldn't be playing the way I am (referring to his bad form), being one of the best players in the world, it is disappointing when you don't perform," he concluded.