Australia and England renew their oldest rivalry on Friday when the first of three one-day internationals begins at Perth Stadium, with Joe Root’s 200th ODI and 21-year-old quick Mahli Beardman’s debut headlining a series both sides are building towards the 2027 World Cup. The day-night opener starts at 2:30pm AEDT, 9:00am IST; Adelaide hosts the second ODI on November 15, Hobart the third on November 18, then five T20Is.
Root becomes only the third England man to reach 200 ODI appearances, after Eoin Morgan (225) and Jos Buttler (204). The 35-year-old is England’s most prolific ODI run-scorer, with 8,010 runs at 50.37, and he played his 100th ODI at the SCG in 2018. “I played my 100th ODI in Sydney and to be back here for my 200th game is obviously a huge privilege,” Root told reporters in Perth. Against Australia he averages a modest 28.26 from 30 matches, and he urged England’s young squad to adapt to Australian conditions as they build towards the World Cup.
Australia will hand a debut to Beardman, who made his T20I debut in January before seven months out with a back stress injury. Marsh has confirmed the youngster will play in Perth, with Xavier Bartlett leading the attack alongside Beardman and left-arm seamer Spencer Johnson. It is a youthful home side: Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are rested and will play Shield cricket instead before next month’s home Test series against New Zealand, leaving Marsh, Head, Green, Carey and Inglis to carry the senior batting.
England are short of senior players: Jacob Bethell and Josh Tongue have been ruled out with injuries, Buttler is missing the tour with a hamstring injury, and James Coles and Eddie Jack have been called up as replacements. Harry Brook captains a squad leaning heavily on Root for stability and Jofra Archer to lead the attack, with Ben Duckett in strong form. England arrive after one win in four group games in a tri-series last month, and the series is a chance for Brook and coach Brendon McCullum to settle questions over the top order, the lower order and the spin options before the new year.
Recent history favours the hosts: Australia have won the last three ODI series between the sides, and England’s last series win over Australia was a 5-0 sweep at home in June 2018; England have not won an ODI series on Australian soil since 2017-18. With the World Cup less than 12 months away, this is also Australia’s last ODI assignment for eight months, so the home side will want a series win and answers about their next generation of quicks before the long red-ball stretch.
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