Five questions for Buttler's England to think over ahead of World Cup defence

As Jos Buttlers England team fly out to begin their efforts to retain the T20 World Cup 2024 title they won in 2022 they have some issues to consider Buttler had plenty of reasons to be cheerful as he led his team on to their flight to Barbados on FridayDespite poor weather in England washing out two of the scheduled T20I matches his side won their series against Pakistan by 20 and he finished as Player of the Series thanks mostly to an impressive 84 runs off 51 balls in the second matchBut he also has some serious thinking to do as he prepares his side for the task of defending the trophy they won in Australia two years ago Here we take a look at some of the things he might be mulling over ahead of Englands T20 World Cup 2024 opening match against Scotland on TuesdayHow will they cope with the conditionsIt has been cold and rainy in England so far this cricketing summer the weather in the Caribbean and the USA will be very differentAre they set to peak at the right timeLeaving aside the English climate missing out on half their scheduled warmup matches in the T20 format is less than ideal preparation for a tournament they hope to win Before the 2022 edition Down Under England played a mammoth 11 matches a sevenmatch series in Pakistan then four in Australia two against the hosts and one against Pakistan againIt is worth noting though that the three players who are in contention to open the batting Buttler himself Phil Salt and Will Jacks are sharp and matchfit thanks to their performances and progress in the IPL so runmaking at least should not be too much of an issueAnd Buttler has gone on record as saying that he thinks his squad are in a good place although admitting it would have been nice to have two further warmup matchesHow will the spinners farePerhaps unexpectedly the spin attack is looking the least of Buttlers concerns Adil Rashid Moeen Ali and Liam Livingstone three wickets each have looked solid against Pakistan despite the conditions not suiting them The only worry here may be the knee injury with which Livingstone returned from the IPLAlso ReadShaw still learning to play T20 cricket DadaWhat should the pace attack look likeEngland has some fine quick bowlers who are looking in form but have had significant injury problems in recent years Mark Wood played in the fourth match against Pakistan his first T20 of any kind for over a year and picked two wickets while Jofra Archer who had been out for 14 months as he struggled with stress fractures to the elbow plus a back issue He took three wickets in the series against Pakistan as well Then there is Reece Topley who missed out on the 2022 triumph after hurting his ankle in a freak accident in practice Topley and Wood played a match each in the truncated Pakistan series perhaps rotation might be the way England opts to goWhat is their confidence likeWith limited preparation as a group it may be more difficult to shrug off memories of Englands ICC Mens Cricket World Cup underperformance last year in which they could not defend their crown and finished seventh with just three wins in nine games Buttler admitted earlier this summer dented the collective English pride On the flip side of course it offers him and coach Matthew Mott a chance of speedy redemption if they can retain their T20 crownWith agency inputs