The Carlton-Mid ODI tri-series involving hosts Australia, England and India gets underway on January 16th. This will be a great dress-rehearsal for all three of them considering the fact that the ICC World Cup 2015 is scheduled to take place in Australia and New Zealand from February 14th. For England, this will be a crucial series as they had a pathetic 2014 in ODIs. They won only 8 of the 24 matches that they played and most of these wins came after the series loss. It’s clear that life wasn’t easy for them but the fact that they have the ability to turn things around also can’t be discarded.

Team Guide:

First of all, England will go into this series and the World Cup with a new captain in the name of Eoin Morgan. After the drubbing in Sri Lanka last November, Alastair Cook was sacked as the ODI captain and the Irishmen was handed over the reigns. One thing that came in Morgan’s favour was that “he thinks like a one-day cricketer”. Undoubtedly, he is England’s best ODI player currently, and selectors might have thought that he would bring that much needed fresh energy and motivation into the squad.

Now with the captaincy issue settled, the case was selecting the best squad, and, I have no doubts in saying that the players who have been selected have everything in them to make England a well-settled ODI side. So, let us talk about them in detail:

Top-Order: Moeen Ali (all-rounder), Ian Bell, Alex Hales, Gary Ballance and James Taylor

In terms of talent, this is one of the best top-orders in cricketing world. Of course out of these five only three will feature in the playing XI, but if anyone gets injured, the replacement will not be a problem. Starting with Moeen Ali, the thing that is good with him is that he plays his natural game without worrying about the match situation. His off-spin will also come in handy if Morgan thinks of playing four genuine fast-bowlers. Ian Bell, the most experienced batsmen of this team has all the resources to score at a consistent pace. Alex Hales, the name says it all. He has proven his worth in T20s and if he gets going here, other teams would be in some serious trouble. Gary “The Right” Ballance. This guy might not be as flamboyant as Hales or Ali, but he surely has the capability to play the waiting game and then change gears accordingly. James Taylor, one of the fastest runners between the wickets also possesses the ability to score at a brisk pace which adds extra spice to this squad.

Middle-Order: Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Ravi Bopara (all-rounder), Jos Buttler (wk)

Joe Root, England’s best batsmen across all formats in the past one year, has everything in him to be one of the greatest batsmen of all time. Eoin Morgan has been out of form in the last 15 ODIs but it won’t take long time for him to get back into form. Ravi Bopara is very much capable of changing the course of game with his bat alone and his slow medium-pace can also get Morgan one or two crucial wickets. Wicket-keeper batsmen Jos Buttler has been a revelation for them since ICC Champions Trophy 2013 and his last overs blitz have many a times has won them many games.

Bowlers: Chris Woakes (all-rounder), James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Chris Jordan, Steven Finn and James Tredwell

One sure-shot thing that makes England a tough side to face is their fast-bowling. Both Chris Woakes and Chris Jordan did extremely well in Sri Lanka (in absence of Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad) and took 14 and 10 wickets respectively. Lanky pacer Steven Finn is also coming to terms slowly but surely and he’ll be the bowler to watch out for in this series and the World Cup after that. Both James Anderson and Stuart Broad are coming back from a long injury lay off and they would hope to make amends straightaway and go into World Cup with some form and confidence. James Tredwell is the lone specialist spinner in the squad and his job would be to contain the flow of runs from one end.

Last ten match record (most recent first):

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Key Players to Watch out for:

Moeen Ali, Eoin Morgan, Chris Woakes, Stuart Broad

Probable Playing XI:

Ian Bell, Moeen Ali, James Taylor, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Ravi Bopara, Jos Buttler, Chris Woakes, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Steven Finn

Prediction:

With respect to the conditions, England have a good line-up and I won’t be surprised if they reach the finals of the series.

Fixtures:

January 16th: vs Australia at SCG

January 20th: vs India at Gabba

January 23rd: vs Australia at Hobart