PERTH, Nov 7 (Reuters) – England white-ball coach Brendon McCullum is confident his batsmen will negate any short-ball challenge Australia present in the first one-dayer at Perth Stadium, having acclimatised to conditions with a warm-up game at the WACA Ground on Saturday.
England defeated Western Australia by 92 runs in their only hit-out before the three-match one-day international series begins on Friday.
“When you come here with the bigger boundaries, the short ball is always a weapon for a bowler. You’ve still got to find ways to score off it, you can’t just keep going under it,” McCullum told reporters.
“Our boys are all very good players of the short ball.”
England had been criticised last year for playing an intra-club practice match at the slow-and-low Lilac Hill, a suburban ground which bore no resemblance to the fast-and-bouncy Perth Stadium where they lost the Ashes opener inside two days.
The WACA Ground – now a boutique venue with grassy banks, community pools and gymnasiums – has retained its traditional seam-friendly characteristics though, and paceman Jofra Archer looked particularly menacing for the tourists with 3-34.
“He looked like he was charging in nicely… he’s got skills at the top, in the middle and at the death so it was nice for him to get through some overs,” said McCullum, who has lost seamer Josh Tongue to a left big toe injury.
“We love coming out here and playing against Australia. It’s always a great contest, albeit their side looks slightly different than it normally does, there’s never a weak Australian side.”
Australia are looking to bounce back from a multiformat drubbing in South Africa, while fresh debate over “Sandpapergate” comes as an unwelcome distraction after former opener Usman Khawaja claimed that knowledge of the 2018 ball-tampering incident extended beyond those sanctioned.
The hosts are resting veteran pace trio Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc.
ODI squad member Mahli Beardman went wicketless in the tour match while fellow seamer Lance Morris marked his return from a 20-month back injury with 3-29, at times hitting 145 kph.
Opener Ben Duckett top-scored with 59 for England, who were bowled out for 251, but the match highlight belonged to captain Harry Brook who landed a six in the WACA swimming pool. Spinner Adil Rashid took 4-35 as WA collapsed to 159 all out in reply.
The ODI series will be followed by five Twenty20 internationals.
(Reporting by Joel Dubber in Perth; Editing by Clare Fallon)
