The seven-match one-day series, which starts at the MCG on Sunday, will give both nations an opportunity to prepare for the World Cup, which starts in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh on February 20.
Australia might have slipped to fifth in the Test rankings, but they are still the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) top-rated one-day side despite just three wins in their last nine matches.
The Australians will be looking to extend their record streak of three successive World Cup wins, stretching back to 1999 in England, and they have not dropped a match in the last two editions of the tournament. Their current World Cup winning streak stands at 23 matches.
However, their recent record suggests they are unlikely to be anything like the dominant force of the previous World Cup in the West Indies, when they won all 11 matches on the back of superstars Matthew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist, Glenn McGrath and Andrew Symonds, all now retired.
Australia wasn’t harmed by losing their last five one-dayers before that World Cup as they experimented with fringe players, but there is not the same aura of invincibility around the squad these days.
The ODI series offers England the chance to expose some more of the frailties that derailed Australia’s Ashes campaign and the tourists could take heart from the squad named by the host side for the opening match.
To continue the theme of confusion that has taken hold in Australian cricket this summer, the selectors picked a 14-man squad just for Sunday’s game.
After the disastrous 3-1 Ashes loss, Australian selectors reacted by recalling veteran paceman Brett Lee, who is now 34 and missed the last World Cup due to injury, for Sunday’s game.
Lee hasn’t played a one-day international since October 2009.
Also recalled was tearaway quick Shaun Tait, who played in the 2007 World Cup final, but these days rarely plays anything other than Twenty20 cricket.
Rather than looking to young blood to inject fresh life into an ailing national team, the Australians also named 33-year-old Victorian batsman David Hussey, who hasn’t played an ODI for almost two years, and have recalled spinner Nathan Hauritz after ignoring him for the entire Ashes series.
Overlooked were promising young batsmen Callum Ferguson, Shaun Marsh and Tim Paine, with 21-year-old Steven Smith the only squad member under 26.
After his nightmare debut as Test captain in Sydney, Michael Clarke will skipper the one-day team, with his predecessor Ricky Ponting still recovering from a finger injury.
Victorian all-rounder Cameron White will serve as Clarke’s deputy.
After the Ashes rout, England have all the momentum heading into the one-day series and have had no selection problems.
Most of the side that won the Ashes will play in the one-day series, along with the explosive talents of Eoin Morgan.
Steven Davies takes over the wicketkeeping gloves from Matt Prior, while Michael Yardy offers another spin option.
The English are also likely to use promising fast bowler Ajmal Shahzad as they look to finalise their World Cup squad.
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