England’s Jos Buttler (PTI Photo/Kunal Patil)
Former England fast bowler Steve Harmison has questioned whether Jos Buttler still has the motivation to stick around in international cricket after a disappointing campaign in the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.England’s run in the tournament ended on Thursday when the England cricket team lost a tense semi-final match to the Indian national cricket team by seven runs at the iconic Wankhede Stadium. Led by Harry Brooke, England fought hard in the chase but ultimately failed.
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Butler has endured a particularly difficult tournament. Through eight matches, the right-hander has managed just 87 passes and has struggled to find rhythm at the crease.
In the semi-finals, he tried to attack to get out of the slump but was eventually dismissed by Varun Chakaravarthy. The English star finished the competition without passing a single half-century, and failed to provide a strong start at the top of the standings.Following England’s exit, Harmison said Buttler now needed to think about his future with the national team.“He needs to look at himself in the mirror and say: ‘Do I really want to keep playing international cricket?’ If he says: ‘I want’, he will continue to play for me.”
It’s just a question of whether the ups and downs have had that effect. I think Goss deserves the right to think: ‘Do I have another cycle in me to get to another championship?'” Harmison told TalkSport.“Only Joss can answer that, and he should be allowed to. But I look at Joss, and I’m not sure he’s enjoying playing cricket for England at the moment,” he added.Harmison also suggested that if passion for the game starts to fade, Buttler may need to consider stepping aside and letting the next generation take over.“If the candle is just flickering, and it’s not quite there, which doesn’t seem to have been a fun factor over the last year or so, then maybe it’s time for Joss to say: ‘I’ve bided my time, I’ve given everything for England, I’ve been the best white-ball player in England, and now it’s time for someone else to take over,'” Harmison said.Despite recent difficulties, Buttler remains one of England’s most decorated white-ball players.
He played a crucial role in England’s victories in the 2019 Cricket World Cup and the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.The wicketkeeper-batsman is also England’s most capped player across formats with 411 ODIs and is the country’s highest run-scorer in T20 Internationals with 4,037 runs. It remains to be seen whether he will choose to continue his career with an eye on the 2027 Cricket World Cup, scheduled to be hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
