Buttler is still waiting for his first series victory as permanent white-ball captain after rain wrecked the series-deciding third one-day international against South Africa at Headingley on Sunday.

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Buttler replaced Eoin Morgan as captain after he retired from international cricket in June, while the 50-over team was dealt a further blow with Stokes' decision to quit ODI cricket after the series opener in Durham.

England lost Stokes' final game by 62 runs, but levelled the series with victory in another rain-affected clash in Manchester on Friday, before only 27.4 overs were possible in Leeds.

Asked how the team intend to cover for the loss of Stokes, Buttler told Sky Sports: "We have to be realistic with where we are as a team in the ODI format. It is about building towards that World Cup in India [in 2023]. What will we need in the conditions out in India?

"We have had a bit of change in the recent past, but we've also got a lot of very experienced players as well, who are natural leaders in the team anyway.

"It's about drawing a line in the sand, looking forward to that next World Cup and building a team to try and win it.

"When you lose a genuine all-rounder in Ben you are probably always going to feel short in either batting or bowling.

"Now we have time to work out which way we want to go and give guys an opportunity to stake a claim for that place."

'Batters excited for T20 series'

Before the 50-over World Cup in a year's time, Buttler has the even more pressing matter of this year's T20 World Cup in Australia, with the upcoming three-match T20 series with South Africa the first of 13 internationals England will play ahead of the start of the tournament in October.

England and South Africa first clash in Bristol on Wednesday - live on Sky Sports Cricket, 6.30pm - before further games in Cardiff and Southampton on Friday and Sunday, respectively.

"Hopefully they're going to be some great matches," said Buttler.

"Looking at some of the grounds we're playing at, there should be some really high-scoring games as well, which will be exciting.

"I think some of the batters are hoping for some really good wickets, as we've had some challenging white-ball conditions this year, whereas England in recent years has generally been very favourable for batting. That has been a good learning curve.

"With a World Cup just round the corner, we have guys trying to stake a claim for a place in that 11."

'Schedule has been a frustration'

With more games coming thick and fast, Buttler was the latest player to show his frustration with the cricketing schedule, saying it has limited the impact he has been able to make as captain.

"It's tough," Buttler later told reporters. "A lot of the time around training is when you do your best work, away from the pressures of the game, having good conversations and having a feel for where the group is at.

"To get the highest standard of cricket possible, you need to prepare properly. Hopefully that's something we can look at going forward.

"As a new captain, just having that time to bed in and do that work around your players and with your coaches. That's been a frustration to be truthfully honest - it would be nice to have that time to do the work.

"But we don't, so you just have to adapt and find the best way. It's been a good challenge."

Watch the first T20 international between England and South Africa, from Seat Unique Stadium in Bristol, live on Sky Sports Cricket on Wednesday. Coverage starts at 6pm with the first ball at 6.30pm.