There is no doubt that Australia have taken the upcoming ODI series with England to give their younger one-day cricketers the opportunity to experience English conditions ahead of next year’s World Cup.
The Aussies have won both warm-up matches against Sussex and Middlesex with plenty in hand, with Marcus Stoinis and Travis Head both scoring tons, and the Baggy Greens will have been laughing up their sleeves at England’s embarrassing defeat by Scotland on Sunday – but do Tim Paine’s side have what it takes to overturn a heavy defeat by Eoin Morgan and his players at the start of the year?
By the time the World Cup comes around, the ban on Steve Smith and David Warner will have been lifted and the disgraced pair will be free to represent their country again. Warner is commentating on the series with England for Australian TV but, unlike Smith, has yet to show much remorse for the actions that brought disgrace to a nation in South Africa. His international exile may not be ended easily whereas his former captain is likely to be recalled as soon as he is available.
Despite those warm-up wins, Australia’s bowling attack this summer looks woefully ill-equipped to cope with the world’s top-ranked one-day team. There is no Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins or Josh Hazlewood. All rounder Mitchell Marsh has also been left at home. Captain Paine and new coach Justin Langer are determined that Australia won’t be cannon-fodder for England but Kane Richardson and Ashton Agar are not going to strike fear in the hearts of the free-scoring England batsmen and there will be massive pressure on the likes of Aaron Finch, Shaun Marsh and Glenn Maxwell to put runs on the board to ensure their team is competitive.
That shock defeat by Scotland, who are ranked 12 places lower than England in the ODI rankings, was hardly the ideal preparation for the hosts but they were on target to complete their highest-ever run chase until losing the plot in the final three overs. That was a rare reverse for England but, as former captain Nasser Hussain suggested, just the reminder the team needed that they have to perform on all fronts if they are to hold on to their number one ranking.
There were still runs for several England batsmen in Edinburgh, especially Jonny Bairstow, and their top order is capable of taking a game away from any team if they fire. Australia won their last ODI series in England in 2015 but were beaten 4-1 on home soil over the winter. Another 4-1 victory in the five-match series is 13/5 with BetVictor. England are a general 2/5 to win the series and it could be worth having a bet on Jason Roy to be England’s top run-maker at 15/4 with Unibet.
