3 things to look forward in the AUS-ENG ODIs ft. Harry Brook's captaincy
The obituary writers of ODI cricket are going to get a 10-day break as England and Australia collide in a five-match series starting Thursday, September 19. Two heavyweight rivals, featuring a ton of superstars and that too in England, will bring money aplenty and good audience for the game, at least for a while.
Australia, the greatest side in the format, have also been the most dominant in the rivalry in the recent past. They won the 2020 tour of England 2-1, and hosted the English for a 3-0 drubbing in 2022, while also beating them in the 2023 World Cup.
But England, again, are at home and the last time these teams played as many as five ODIs, they slapped a five-nil whitewash on the Aussies. That gave them a bumper kick in the back for the 2019 World Cup win and with a younger, hungrier squad, they'd be aiming for something similar to overturn the recent disasters in all white-ball tournaments.
But that's not it. There's a lot more to watch out for between the lines and we have noted that down in three points for you below:
#3 Harry Brook's captaincy
England's ODI team are going through a slow transition at the moment. Generally, national team's coaches take over instantly - the old coach goes and the new one gets maybe a small break before starting.
But in England's case, Brendon McCullum will only take over from January 2025 and Marcus Trescothick is holding the reins till then. To make matters more telling, Jos Buttler is out injured and Ben Stokes is away from the ODI side.
But slowly becoming a team averse of playing it safe, they have given the charge to the 25-year-old Harry Brook. The youngster is one of the most promising batters in the world and has substantial experience for his age. He captained Northern Superchargers to five wins in six games in the recent Hundred, and has also led Yorkshire and England under-19s.
Playing against an Australian team, which on paper looks much more experienced than the hosts, would be a completely different challenge. Tactics are made in the dressing room so what we'd need to keep an eye out on would be his confidence, his approach to difficult scenarios on the field and what effect the responsibility has on his batting.
Brook is England's fifth captain in the last few months across formats but given his age and the trust the management has shown on him in this series, he looks the most likely one for the future. Even a scrappy win on his captaincy series debut would elevate him from a prodigy to a cult figure.
#2 How good are Australia without Pat Cummins?
Absence of senior players isn't one-sided. Australia, too, are without one of their most important players. World Cup-winning captain Pat Cummins is on a recovery break after playing extensively all around the world in the past year.
However, Mitchell Marsh is an experienced stand-by so the impact won't be as much about captaincy but more about Cummins' primary skill. He's not only one of the best ODI bowlers of this generation but also Australia's most important against England.
In 20 matches against them, he has 33 wickets at an average of 30.55. Cummins has only gone wicketless against England thrice in these games.
With England likely to be on the attack on their home turf, Cummins' ability to remain unscathed (he has a career economy rate of 5.29) under pressure would be dearly missed. In his absence, Josh Hazlewood would likely have to take much more responsibility of death and middle-overs.
As Nathan Ellis is also out with injury, it'd also be interesting to see who'd play as the third seamer between Sean Abbott and Ben Dwarshuis for Australia, and if they are able to make a long-term case for the 2025 Champions Trophy.
#1 Young prodigies on both sides
The most exciting aspect of the series is the ones not missing but the ones included.
Australia have Jake Fraser McGurk, Aaron Hardie and the recently-announced reserve Mahli Beardman, the Player of the Match in the last Under-19 World Cup final on their side. England, meanwhile, have Jacob Bethell, Will Jacks, Jamie Smith, Jordan Cox, Matthew Potts, and John Turner in their ranks, apart from Brook.
Some of these players you have watched and some you haven't. But most are considered prodigies at their homes and their coaches have touted them as the next big assets of the sport.
Given this is a five-match series with no ICC Trophy on the line, we would certainly see a lot of them in action, which in itself would be extremely exciting. But that would give us a peek into these great nations' cricketing future and tell us what we can expect from them for the 2027 ODI World Cup.