Bangladesh tour the ideal challenge for England before World Cup: Buttler

Playing on a slow and low wicket in the upcoming series in Bangladesh is the ideal preparation for England's title defence at the Cricket World Cup in India later this year, limited overs captain Jos Buttler said.

England are due to play three one-day internationals and three Twenty20 matches in Bangladesh, beginning on Wednesday in Mirpur.

"This is exactly the kind of challenge we need, nearing the World Cup, to test ourselves in probably the conditions that we as a side will find the hardest," Buttler told reporters in Dhaka on Sunday.

"We're expecting a slow and low wicket, which is exactly what we want, to test ourselves in tough conditions which will be great preparation for us moving forward."

England will be without some of their multi-format players with the test team currently playing the second match in New Zealand but Buttler said they will still have a balanced attack.

"Generally the wicket will be slower, but guys like Jofra (Archer) and Mark Wood have fantastic airspeed, so someone who can bowl with such pace on these wickets is still a handful," he added.

"It's not always to the benefit of the batsman. We have a nice variety in the squad. Right-arm, left-arm, high pace, guys who can swing it."

India will host the 50-overs World Cup in October and November.