3 reasons why England suffered a premature end to their 2025 Champions Trophy campaign

England were handed a shocking eight-run defeat by Afghanistan in their second match of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy in Lahore on Wednesday, February 26, which saw them knocked out of the tournament. This was another addition to a series of uninspiring performances at ICC events.

The Jos Buttler-led side seemed heavily reliant on old warhorse Joe Root, and did not have anyone else to carry the burden for them. Their bowling attack too seemed toothless and left a lot to be desired.

The Englishmen must take this loss as a lesson and start preparation for the 2027 ODI World Cup. In this listicle, we take a look at three reasons why England suffered a premature end to their Champions Trophy campaign:

#3 Insipid bowling attack

England's bowlers seemed undercooked going into the eight-nation tournament after they had been belted around by India's batters in the preceding three-match ODI series.

Their bowling attack failed to live up to expectations in this tournament, unable to defend 351 against Australia in their first match and conceding 325 against Afghanistan in their second. Both times, they did not show any consistency and bowled in areas where their opponents were able to free their arms.

Only Jofra Archer stood up to be counted against Afghanistan with figures of 3-64. Part-timer Liam Livingstone was the next-highest wicket-taker against the Asian side with figures of 2-28. Against arch-rivals Australia, no England bowler managed to pick up more than a wicket.

#2 Failure of top batters

Jos Buttler of England leaves the field after being dismissed during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 match between Afghanistan and England on February 26, 2025, in Lahore, Pakistan. (Photo by Matthew Lewis-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)

One of the biggest reasons England suffered from a premature end was that their main batters, apart from Joe Root and Ben Duckett, failed to make a mark. Skipper Jos Buttler ended up with scores of 23 and 28, both solid starts that he could have converted into big innings.

Similarly, Harry Brook, one of the most highly rated batters in the world at the moment, failed to get big scores in either innings he played (3 and 25). The failure of these batters, often at crucial times in both games, allowed their opponents to capitalize and build upon the momentum they seemed to be gaining.

#1 Over-reliance on Joe Root

Joe Root has been, for long, England's best batter in Test cricket. In one-day cricket too, he has shown his wares whenever he has had the chance to do so. Coming back into the team after a gap of about a year and a half following the 2023 ODI World Cup, Root displayed his class in the Champions Trophy.

In the series against India, Root propped up England's score with a half-century (69) in the second ODI in Cuttack, and was also their second-highest run-scorer in the Champions Trophy with scores of 68 and 120. Root was exquisite in both innings he played, and could have been the difference between the two teams.

His century against Afghanistan was well-constructed and almost took England over the line, only for them to fumble at the last moment. Unfortunately, he had little support from others in this game. Against Australia, although Ben Duckett scored 165, no other batter save Root stood up for England.