Jos Buttler: We have to be realistic about where we are as a team

Following England's drawn ODI series against South Africa, Buttler addressed the rebuilding process triggered by the departures of Ben Stokes and Eoin Morgan but praised the depth of talent on offer

Jos Buttler believes England need to be realistic about "where we are as a team" following the retirements of Eoin Morgan and Ben Stokes (ODI only).

It's been a disappointing few weeks for the new England skipper, with back-to-back series defeats against India followed by a drawn ODI series against South Africa after rain forced the abandonment of the decider at Headingley. South Africa won the series opener at Chester-le-Street by 62 runs before England bounced back with a 118-run win at Emirates Old Trafford.

However, speaking to Sky Sports, Buttler was keen to stress that his side are in a rebuilding stage, particularly in the ODI arena, and have plenty of time to source a replacement for Stokes ahead of next year's World Cup in India.

"Any time you lose players, it gives opportunities for others to step up and we have to be realistic about where we are as a team at the minute," Buttler said.

"In the ODI format, it is about building to that World Cup in India. We've had a bit of change in the recent past and it's about drawing a line in the sand, looking forward, and building a team to compete and try and win that World Cup."

^{Reece Topley has caught Buttler's eye over the past few series [Stu Forster/Getty Images]}

Addressing the void left by Stokes, he continued: "It'll be something we sit on and look ahead to what it looks like when Ben is missing, and make sure we have the World Cup in mind – the conditions we might face in India and what we will need out there.

"When you have a genuine allrounder like Ben, you're probably always going to feel short in batting or bowling. We have time to work out which way we want to go and give guys the opportunity to stake a claim for that place."

One player who has impressed Buttler is bowler Reece Topley. In the absence of Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes and others, the Surrey quick has picked up four wickets in two T20I outings and 11 wickets in five ODI matches against India and South Africa, and looked incredibly comfortable when bowling in the powerplay.

"Reece has been outstanding," Buttler said. "It's great to see him take those wickets. He's got all the attributes and it's fantastic to see him fit and playing so well.

"That's been something over the years in white-ball cricket in England, there's been quite a lot of depth that's pushed the standard higher and higher, whether you're in the team or just outside and trying to get in. That's something we hope will continue to develop."

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