Jos Buttler believes Brendon McCullum's removal as Test coach may have boosted England's World Cup chances, with the New Zealander now "all in" on lifting the trophy next winter.

McCullum was relieved of his red-ball duties in July, with Stephen Fleming eventually named as his successor, but remained in charge of a limited-overs set-up that ended the summer with a record of 11 wins and two defeats. That included ODI series wins over India and Sri Lanka, raising England's stock in a format that has seen them decline since they became world champions in 2019.

Buttler, who captained the team in their ill-fated 2023 title defence, thinks the split coaching model has allowed McCullum to throw all his energy towards next year's tournament in southern Africa. "He's only got one focus now and that is the white ball," Buttler said on his For the Love of Cricket podcast. "Now he can focus solely on white-ball cricket - T20, yes, but mainly ODI cricket with that World Cup on the horizon."

Buttler is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury and has already been ruled out for the forthcoming tri-series tour of Pakistan. He is also a doubt for the November trip to Australia, meaning the team's most experienced one-day player faces a race against time.