McCullum addresses captaincy issue as England look ahead to the future

England coach Brendon McCullum is already applying his trademark positivity to a high stakes process his side must now meet front on.

Jos Buttler made the tough decision to end his reign as England’s white-ball captain on the eve of their final Champions Trophy appearance. The heavy defeat at the hands of South Africa on Saturday did little to quell England’s critics, with Buttler honourably taking accountability for the team’s lean patch in 50-over cricket.

It leaves big decisions for McCullum and England, with the coach pointing to a lack of self belief from his players for their winless tournament run.

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“I felt that we lacked confidence and I thought today was another example of that,” McCullum told the media after their loss to the Proteas.

“Sometimes guys are a little bit low on confidence and we don't necessarily get the output that we want and hence why you find yourself on the outside of the tournament.

“We've got to put our hands up and acknowledge that it wasn't good enough and that's okay in sport, you don't get to be upset if you haven't played well. Sometimes it doesn't work out and you've just got to wear that as best you can and try and keep moving forward.”

It’s now all eyes on McCullum and England to make crucial leadership decisions, whether they identify one player to handle the captaincy of both the ODI and T20I teams, or opt for multiple skippers.

“(We’ll) work it out over the next few weeks,” McCullum continued.

“(We’ll) make sure we have a good look at how the structure looks, how things are placed, and what each side needs. And if it's the same person, then great. If it's two different people, then great too.

“We've obviously now got a structural change which is going to take place … and then with that they'll bring some of their own ideas and want to stamp their own style on things. So, there'll be a natural evolution of the team.”

From England’s point of view, there will be no hesitation to commence their captaincy search.

“I'll get home in the next couple of days and then start to think about it, and start having some conversations with (England's cricket manager) Rob Key and the guys at the ECB about who is the right person for us,” McCullum continued.

“Then what do they need and how do we start to learn some of the lessons that we've been dealt on this tour and in this tournament to ensure that we're a lot more competitive than what we've been.

“It's a matter for us as coaches and leaders to try and get the best out of that and to try and bring the right combination of players together for the task at hand. And that's what's in front of us over the next little while, which is exciting.

“We're going to find out pretty quickly ways to be able to make sure that our team walks out there a lot more confident than what we are at the moment.”