5 Things to look forward to in the England-Australia ODI Series

The Ashes Test series may very well have been won quite convincingly by England. But there is a fresh ODI series that is due to start soon between the teams, where England would look forward to maintaining the winning momentum and Australia would look to avenge their Test defeat. With both teams undergoing changes before the ODI series, it would be quite a treat to watch which team emerges on top at the end.Australia playing without Michael Clarke and Steve Smith heading the squad, and the English team being headed by the ODI captain Eoin Morgan, it remains to be watched how the teams cope with the changes.Here are five things to watch out for in the series that are guaranteed to have any cricket fan hooked to the matches.

#1 Steve Smith\'s Captaincy

Steve Smith of Australia walks onto the ground during the ODI match between Australia and India at SCG on January 26, 2015

With Michael Clarke announcing his retirement, Steve Smith would be at the helm of the Australian unit, starting from the ODI series against England. The momentum that Australia gained after clinching the ODI World Cup earlier this year, seemed to have dissipated into thin air with the disastrous and unexpected loss to England in the Ashes Test series.

Australia clearly have an uphill task in front of them, to regroup and regain their winning habit. The resounding innings victory in the final match of the Ashes series, which also saw Clarke don the whites for the last time, would have brought back some of the lost energy in the Australian camp.

Known for his impeccable batting prowess, Steve Smith is a man of big scores. Though he has only captained the team once so far, he had never let it affect his game, and also went on to craft a fine century. There is no doubt that he’s the right candidate to take over the proceedings from Clarke. But his real test would be to lead Australia to an ODI series win and salvage the Test series loss.

#2 England\'s Brand of Cricket

The likes of Ben Stokes embody the new spirit of England’s ODI team

In contrast to the Australian team, England suffered a humiliating defeat in the ODI World Cup earlier this year and were ranked among the lowest of the low. Anyone who saw the team’s performance in the World Cup would have written off the team outright in the Ashes series.

But the way England bounced back under Cook’s captaincy was a delightful spectacle to watch. The downtrodden team that was low in spirits after the World Cup debacle, suddenly played an attacking brand of cricket and vehemently fought for wins. England annihilated Australia to seal the fate of the Ashes series within 4 matches, making the finale all but unnecessary.

Not many would have imagined England to win over world champions Australia and that too in such a convincing fashion. The team indeed have changed their outlook and have switched to aggressive play. The ODI series against Australia would be a perfect platform to see if the changes adopted by the English camp pays off and fetches them more wins.

#3 English Pacers - Will the fine form continue?

Can England bowlers continue their destructive form into the ODI series as well?

A woebegone English team in low spirits after the World Cup mess, displayed a new-found energy, courtesy their pace attack which was lethal against Australia in the just-concluded Ashes series. Things took a steep turn for the better at the English camp, when their frontline bowlers displayed excellent accuracy and stunning discipline to claim the Australian wickets in heaps.

On pitches which offered plenty to the fast bowlers, Anderson and Broad made most of the opportunity from the start of the series. Their combined attack was rendered even more destructive, with Finn also stepping up at the right time to reduce Australia to a paltry score in the second innings of the third Test.

Even though Anderson was out of the fourth Test, Broad did not let his absence be felt, as he continued to chip away the Aussie wickets. He was ably assisted by Ben Stokes, who for his part, succeeded in accounting for 6 scalps in the second innings of the penultimate Test of the series.

This new-look aggressive unit of English pacers clearly tilted the series in favor of the home team. With the ODI series to start soon, all eyes will be on them to see if they continue with their firepower or tame down.

#4 The Starc Effect

Can Mitchell Starc return to his stellar best in the ODI series?

Although Starc was not at his brilliant best since the start of the Ashes Test series, no one would easily forget his performance at the World Cup, especially against New Zealand, that easily. Starc showed glimpses of his usual best when he scalped 6 in the 2nd innings of the 4th Test, but he failed to live up to the bar raised by the general expectation from him, given his recent ODI and T20 performances.

With the start of the ODI series, everyone would be hoping to see a rejuvenated Starc castle the batsmen with his fiery bowling. Given that the English pitches are a haven for pacers, fans would be eager to watch the Starc Effect in action soon.

#5 Aussie Young Blood

Joe Burns hit 154 against India ‘A’ earlier this month

The Australian team has been undergoing a number of changes in the squad. With their intent fixed on honing new talent and grooming them for the international stage, the Australian batsmen have roped in several youngsters including the likes of Ashton Agar, James Pattinson, Marcus Stoinis and Joe Burns for the ODI series against England.

While Agar, Burns and Stoinis are eagerly awaiting the day of their ODI debut, Pattinson has ably done well in the 13 ODIs that he has played to earn himself a spot in the squad. Which one of these talented youngsters would get to perform in the grounds of the Home of Cricket is something really worth keeping an eye out for.

Australia might even discover the next big star for them in the international arena from among these highly talented youngsters.