Jos Buttler accepts his fate as England captain could be sealed by the outcome of their Champions Trophy clash against Afghanistan but he insisted the issue is not weighing on his mind.
A washout between Australia and South Africa on Tuesday means, barring more rain, England must win their final two Group B contests to reach the semi-finals, starting with Afghanistan on Wednesday.
England’s defeat to Australia in Lahore at the weekend was their fifth in a row in ODIs while Buttler’s side have lost 17 in 24 during a period in which they have surrendered both white-ball World Cups.
With head coach Brendon McCullum still getting his feet under the desk, it is likely Buttler who would be in the firing line if England are sent tumbling out of another major tournament in the group stages.
When asked if the stakes are personally high for him on the eve of the Gaddafi Stadium fixture, Buttler, who has won 12 of 33 ODIs as permanent England skipper, replied: “Yeah, absolutely.
“I think any time as an England captain, you want to perform, you want to perform well and you want to lead your team to winning games of cricket. We haven’t been doing that enough in the recent past.
“But as soon as you catch yourself thinking about any negative things, you just try and completely forget that and focus on all of the positive things that could go right and where you can take the team.
“I’m very much focused on that.”
England will make just one change from their five-wicket loss to Australia, with Jamie Overton replacing fellow fast bowler Brydon Carse, who has returned home due to a toe injury.
We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity.
Leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed, ratified as Carse’s replacement, is expected to be watching on as he arrives into Pakistan on Wednesday morning, with a view to being available to face South Africa on Saturday.
But Buttler knows England cannot afford to overlook Afghanistan, who claimed a shock 69-run win in the teams’ last 50-over meeting at the 2023 World Cup, with spinners Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman sharing six wickets.
While Mujeeb is not in Afghanistan’s contingent this time, left-arm wrist-spinner Noor Ahmad represents another dangerous threat against an England side who have struggled against the turning ball in Asia.
Buttler said: “I give them lots of respect, they have a unique style in some senses, some great spin options, Rashid and Noor are obviously two standout guys that we need to prepare really well for.
“But as much as we look at the opposition, it’s focusing on ourselves, bringing the best version of our cricket and being confident that that would be enough to win the game.”
England have faced pressure to boycott this match in protest at the scaling back of women’s rights in Afghanistan, where female participation in sport has effectively been outlawed under the Taliban regime.
England captain Jos Buttler needs a win against Afghanistan (Steven Paston/PA)
There are also bans on women working and girls over the age of 12 from secondary and higher education.
England and Wales Cricket Board chair Richard Thompson described what is happening in Afghanistan as “gender apartheid” and has called for collective action to the situation from the International Cricket Council.
Amnesty International has urged the teams to “ensure the entirely subjugated women and girls of Afghanistan are on the minds of audiences around the world” and Buttler spoke up about the issue on Tuesday.
“I’ve taken a lot of advice from lots of experts,” Buttler added.
“(England men’s director of cricket) Rob Key and the ECB have been very good at supporting me and all the players, and giving us information and education around this and making an ECB decision.
“It’s a very sad plight of women and girls in Afghanistan and the struggles that they’re facing, but we hope that this game can be a source of hope and enjoyment in what is obviously a tough time.”