England to play 50-over warm-up in stark Ashes contrast
England will play a 50-over warm-up match against a Western Australia XI at the Waca in Perth before their white-ball tour of Australia later this year. The confirmation comes after coach Brendon Mc…
England will play a 50-over warm-up match against a Western Australia XI at the Waca in Perth before their white-ball tour of Australia later this year.
The confirmation comes after coach Brendon McCullum said last month he was hoping to arrange such fixtures to get players "up to speed" before next year's 50-over World Cup.
White-ball warm-up matches have faded from tours in recent years - England have not played one for six years - but this fixture is also a stark contrast to England's widely criticised schedule for last winter's Ashes series.
Before that contest, England played one in-house warm-up at club ground Lilac Hill. At the time, the England and Wales Cricket Board said they had been told the Waca was unavailable.
The arrangement of this fixture, which will take place on 7 November - six days before the first one-day international at Perth's Optus Stadium, therefore hints at a more focused approach, while McCullum pointed to the relative lack of experience in his 50-over side.
England are learning - these are the World Cup issues they need to solve
With Jos Buttler and Adil Rashid injured, Joe Root was the only player in England's XI for the third ODI against Sri Lanka with more than 50 caps.
England, who have struggled recently in 50-over cricket but have won three series in a row this year, have a minimum of 20 official ODIs before next year's World Cup in southern Africa.
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