Buttler identified England's struggle to take wickets against South Africa as a big problem and one not aided by the absence of numerous high profile seamers
Jos Buttler has admitted England are going through a "changing of the times" as they succumbed to another defeat in the Royal London series against South Africa.
And Buttler, the England limited-overs captain, suggested the retirement of Ben Stokes and Epon Morgan should be a "wake-up call" to administrators about the unsustainable demands being made upon the top players.
Buttler admitted that the defeat, England's third in four games in the format, had left England feeling as if they needed to "rebuild" with about 15-months to go before they attempt to defend the World Cup title they won at Lord's in 2019.
"It certainly feels like a bit of a changing of the times for us," Buttler told. "It feels like we now need to rebuild.
"We're probably moving through a bit of a transition phase with Eoin going and Ben going. It's a natural cycle.
"Ben's retirement should definitely be a bit of a wake-up call. Absolutely. Especially given the magnitude of the player. He is one of the most recognisable players in world cricket, someone everyone wants to see play in every format.
Ben Stokes made his final ODI appearance for England [Stu Forster/Getty Images]
“Sure there's more to it than the schedules, but I think in international cricket you always want your best players playing if possible. Guys who play like him are once in a generation players. It's a good challenge for us to work out our best way forward as a team without him.
"But at the same time we have got fantastic players to give opportunities to and other guys waiting in the wings to come back, so I am very confident in the team going forward."
England are, with the retirement of Ben Stokes, currently without the entire seam attack (Jofra Archer, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Liam Plunkett and Stokes) which led them to the 2019 trophy. And it was, in Buttler's view, the struggle to take wickets which allowed South Africa to reach their highest ODI total in England.
He also suggested that batting second proved demanding and made life tough for England's batters.
"You need to try and take wickets to try and stem the flow of runs," Buttler said. "And I thought they ran well as well. There were some big pockets in the ground and they ran twos and put us under pressure that way as well.
"We're probably moving through a bit of a transition phase with Eoin going and Ben going. It's a natural cycle"
"It was a tough day. I thought the efforts from the guys was outstanding. I thought it was a good toss to win and we just couldn't find those breakthroughs. It was a fantastic partnership from Rassie van der Dussen and Aiden Markram and we couldn't break that.
"We never quite managed to impose ourselves with the bat in the chase and I thought the wicket got slower and lower and tougher to time the ball upon. It wasn't through a lack of trying but we never managed to put enough pressure on.
"I think we have been improving through the four games we played and we are missing some experienced guys and going to lose another one in Stokes as well. But it creates an opportunity
"I think for myself and all England fans we want to say thank you to Ben for everything he has done in this format of the game. I know three years ago will live long in the memories but every day he turns up for this team whether it be training or a match, he puts in 100 per cent and he has been a fantastic ambassador for us in ODI cricket.
"Our loss in ODI cricket is certainly going to be England's gain in Test cricket as that's his favoured format and his priority now he's captain. I’m sure that will give him much more longevity in the purest form of the game.
"It's bittersweet as an England fan. There's a bit of sadness that he is no longer available in this form of the game. We will miss him."
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