England white ball captain Jos Buttler has insisted his side are not favourites to win the T20 World Cup this winter, but believes they are a "dangerous team that sides wouldn't want to play against".
Buttler has taken over a team which is not as strong as it once was. Former captain Eoin Morgan retired from international cricket this summer after a run of poor form, while explosive opener Jason Roy has been dropped following his own struggles with form.
Jonny Bairstow and Jofra Archer are both currently out injured, while Chris Woakes and Mark Wood have not played first-team cricket since March due to their own injury problems. As a result, Buttler feels this winter's World Cup is actually a "free hit" for England although he remains confident that they still have a "squad full of match winners".
Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of England's seven match T20I series against Pakistan, Buttler said: "When you look ahead, there's ICC events pretty much every year so there's always stuff to build towards, there's always exciting times. I think this World Cup coming up now is actually a bit of a free hit for us, it's very early in our time as a team.
"We've got a squad full of match winners and I think that's an exciting place to be as a T20 team looking ahead to that World Cup. We by no means go there as favourites, but I feel like we'll be a dangerous team that sides wouldn't want to play against."
England had planned for Bairstow to open alongside Buttler at the World Cup, but after he suffered a freak injury playing golf he was ruled out of the tournament and replaced by Alex Hales. It was Hales' first call-up in over three years and, with Buttler unlikely to feature until the back end of the Pakistan series, he will open with Phil Salt as the pair compete for a starting spot at the World Cup.
"He's a really experienced cricketer who's played a lot for England and has been very successful not only here in the PSL, but of course in the Big Bash as well," Buttler added of Hales. "Through a range of circumstances an opportunity's come around for him again.
"I know how excited he is to have an England shirt back on and I'm sure we're going to see some great performances from him. Phil Salt's been a really exciting player to watch. I love the way he goes about his cricket, he really is a fearless player and takes it on.
"Those two guys will open the batting initially on this trip because they're both in the squad to go on to the World Cup. There's an eye on the World Cup and there's an eye on putting players into situations they may face at the World Cup."
