England vs Australia
England take on Australia in a T20 preceding the ODI series Getty

England take on Australia in the first of the five-match ODI series following an impressive outing in the Ashes test series where the hosts won 3-2, reclaiming the urn after what was an ignominious performance in the series down under two years back. Australia on the other hand will want to make a comeback falling the test defeat, with the World Cup win still deeply etched in their mind.

Where to watch live

The game is set to start at 2pm BST. Live coverage of the match will be on Sky Sports 2 and Sky Sports 2 HD.

Overview

England will be looking to dispel memories of their disastrous World Cup campaign in Australia earlier this year when they failed to make it out of the group stages. However, they did make amends by beating New Zealand in a similar five-match affair, winning the series 3-2 after being 2-1 down.

England have a psychological advantage coming into the fixture given their five-run win over Australia in the sole T20 game played this season after the tests and will back themselves to put in a similar performance in the longer version of the game. England put up 182 runs on the board while batting first, with Eoin Morgan and Moeen Ali scoring half centuries each to take the hosts out of a tight spot.

In reply, Australia were bundled out for 177, with Captain Steven Smith scoring a brilliant 90 to keep them in the game until the end. However, England's bowlers kept the economy rate under check to put in a good performance and clinched the match.

Australia will not be too fazed by their recent performance in the other formats and will vouch for the team to hit back with renewed vigour in the 50-over format. With Mitchell Johnson out of contention, they still have quality in their bowling attack spearheaded by Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins.

Their main concern would be their batting department, where they would need someone to step and support Smith, who has taken it upon himself to guide the team past a period of adversity. Glenn Maxwell is a compelling bet, given his ability to clear the boundary with ease, coupled with his ability to roll the arm over.

Betting odds

  • England to win: 28/17
  • Australia to win: 10/11

Team news

England

Possible XI: Alex Hales, Jason Roy, Moeen Ali, Eoin Morgan (capt), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (wk), Sam Billings, Adil Rashid, David Willey, Liam Plunkett, Steven Finn.

Australia

Possible XI: David Warner, Joe Burns, Steven Smith (capt), George Bailey, Shane Watson, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Wade (wk), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins.

England Australia