Australia and England are ready to renew their blockbuster rivalry when they face each other in the first ODI of the three-match series on Friday in Perth. With the ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia now less than a year away, the series is very much crucial for both teams. Australia head into the series in the wake of a mixed result in ODIs. They had a convincing 3-0 clean sweep against Zimbabwe in September; however, they suffered disappointing 2-1 series losses against Pakistan and Bangladesh earlier in the year.
Moreover, their recent 2-1 defeat to South Africa has highlighted big problems for them in ODIs. This series against England gives them an opportunity to test their depth. Mitchell Marsh will captain the side in the absence of regular skipper Pat Cummins, who has been rested for the assignment. The Australian selectors have also decided to manage the workloads of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, while Nathan Ellis remains unavailable as he continues his recovery from injury.
England, on the other hand, have had some fruitful results in recent months, but their performances have not been that convincing. They began 2026 with a 2-1 series win over Sri Lanka before clinching another 2-1 victory against India on home soil. Meanwhile, their tour to Pakistan exposed massive weaknesses that England will be eager to address.
In the ODI tri-series involving Pakistan and Sri Lanka, Harry Brook's team managed to muster only one win from four group-stage matches and failed to qualify for the final. Nonetheless, England would hope to do better against England.
Head-to-head
Matches - 162
AUS won - 92
ENG won - 65
No result - 3
Tied - 2
AUS likely XI: Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (c), Cooper Connolly, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis (wk), Matthew Renshaw, Jack Edwards, Xavier Bartlett, Spencer Johnson, Adam Zampa, Mahli Beardman
ENG likely XI: Tom Banton, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook (c), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Sonny Baker, Adil Rashid