Australia vs England ODIs 2018: 5 players to watch out for
Australia were very convincing in the recently concluded Ashes, where they beat their arch rivals England 4-0 to regain the coveted urn. England had their moments through the series but were unable to capitalise on them.
Many of their key players were expected to do better, but looked flat and out of form through the 5-match series. Heading into the ODI series against Australia, there will be some new faces added to their squad and with that the tourists will look at winning some games in a tour where they are yet to taste success.
Australia, on the other hand, are riding high on a convincing performance against England to regain the Ashes. With seven members from the Ashes squad featuring in the ODI series, they will start as favorites to win the series.
Looking ahead to the ODI series starting on January 14, here are 5 players to watch out for:
Cameron White
In a surprise inclusion, the Australian selectors have decided to pick veteran Cameron White for the ODIs against England. White last played for Australia in 2015. This will definitely give his career a boost.
He has been around a long time and has played 88 ODIs so far. Lack of consistency and the fact that other younger players like Glen Maxwell and Travis Head were performing better meant White had to be left out of the team.
With Chris Lynn's injury coming just before the ODI series against England, it was expected that Glenn Maxwell would replace him. But with Maxwell failing to capitalise on the opportunities presented to him, along with his training methods questioned by his captain, the selectors decided to overlook him.
The selection of Cameron White is a bold yet sensible one. It's bold as the selectors haven't gone in for the usual, predicted route by going in for Maxwell instead of the injured Chris Lynn.
Instead, they have decided to acknowledge the performance by White in the recent Big Bash League where he has amassed 285 runs at an outstanding average of 142.5 for the Melbourne Renegrades.
The selectors have gone for someone who is experienced, is currently in very good form and importantly, someone who can help out Steven Smith, as he has had a lot of leadership experience for his state side Victoria, and even in the Big Bash League.
Cameron White would most certainly want to make full use of this opportunity and do well in this ODI series as he knows if he fails then the likes of Chris Lynn and Glenn Maxwell could take his place in the side. But if he performs well, then he could push hard for a spot in the World Cup squad for Australia.