Buttler looks forward to his first series win as permanent white-ball captain after a rain showered the third one-day international against South Africa at Headingley on Sunday.
Buttler replaced Eoin Morgan as captain after retiring from international cricket in June, while the 50-over team was dealt another blow by Stokes’ decision to quit ODI cricket after the first match of the series in Durham.
England lost Stokes’ final game by 62 runs but leveled the series with a win in another rain-hit clash in Manchester on Friday, before only 27.4 overs were possible at Leeds.
Asked how the team intends to cover for Stokes’ loss, Buttler told Sky Sports: “We have to be realistic as a team in the ODI format. It’s about building up to that World Cup in India.” What do we need [in 2023] in the situation outside India?
“We have changed a bit in recent times, but we also have very experienced players who are natural leaders in the team anyway.
“It’s about drawing a line in the sand, looking forward to the next World Cup and building a team to try and win it. When you lose a real all-rounder in Ben you’re probably always going to bat Or there are those who feel lacking in bowling.
“Now it’s time for us to decide which way we want to go and give people a chance to claim that spot.”
Ahead of the 50-over World Cup in a year’s time, Buttler has an even more pressing case ahead of this year’s T20 World Cup in Australia, with South Africa taking on England in the upcoming three-match T20I series first. Will play in 13 international matches.
Jos Buttler said, “Hopefully they’re going to be some great matches. Looking at some of the grounds that we’re playing on, there should be some really high scoring games too, which will be exciting.
“I think some batsmen are expecting some really good wickets, because we had some challenging white-ball conditions this year, whereas in recent years England have generally been very friendly to bat. There has been a learning curve. With a World Cup, we have guys trying to claim a place in that 11.”