Jos Buttler has admitted that he is using the form of Ben Stokes as an inspiration as England gear up for their ODI series with South Africa.
Stokes broke the record for the fastest Test 250 during England's 2-1 series win over the Proteas earlier this month, a feat that Buttler believes he can draw from in the one-day version of the game.
"The way Ben has played has been an eye opener for everyone," Buttler, who holds the record for the fastest one-day century for an Englishman, told the Daily Mail. "We all knew he was capable of that but to have the series he had was fantastic.
"Ben is one of my peers, so that gives me added motivation and belief that I can do it. All the talk with [coach] Trevor Bayliss is that it's the way he wants to play in all forms.
"If I look back to the summer I think I went away from my strengths and maybe didn't get the balance right between batting and keeping. Those are the things I've learnt and I feel a lot wiser about how to go about things if I did get another chance."
The first of five ODI matches between the two nations takes place in Bloemfontein on Wednesday.
Neil Wilkes
