5 Englishmen to look at in the upcoming Australia vs England ODI series

After a disappointing test series Down Under, England will be looking to bounce back strongly in the upcoming ODI series against the Australians. England ODI specialists like Alex Hales, Adil Rashid, Liam Plunkett, Jos Buttler, etc. will all be in action from Sunday and will look to deliver the goods for their team.

England Captain Eoin Morgan will want to leave no stone unturned to clinch the series against the mighty Australians. On the other side, Australia will surely be looking to improve their ODI cricket performances as the ICC Cricket World Cup is now just 18 months away. These two powerful teams will lock horns with each other in the first match of the series in Melbourne on 14 January 2018.

Here we look at five English cricketers who will have to shoulder the responsibility for their team in the ODI series.

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#1 Joe Root

Joe Root had a tremendous outing with the bat in 2017

After a shocking test series as a captain, Joe Root has an ample opportunity to put his Ashes woes behind in the ODI series. He smashed 983 runs at an impressive average of 70.21 in 2017 and will look to add to that tally in this year as well.

An impressive career average of 50 justifies the talent and skills he possesses. His batting partnership with Captain Eoin Morgan in the middle overs may decide the fate of the matches in these ODI series.

#2 Eoin Morgan

Eoin Morgan needs to lead from the front

Captain Eoin Morgan should look to lead from the front in the ODI series. His explosive batting can be an asset for any team but his leadership skills have improved leaps and bounds in the last two years.

His aggressive style of captaincy is a treat to watch and he should follow that route to gain success in Australia. He scored 781 runs in 20 matches at an average of 45.94 in the last year. He looked in good form in the tour match where he amassed 81 runs from 76 balls in Sydney.

#3 Jos Buttler

Jos Buttler is known for scoring the big runs at the death

Australians will have to keep Jos Buttler quiet if they want to win matches. This explosive middle-over wicket-keeper batsman can take the game away from you in a few overs. As Ben Stokes has been left out, his role in this team will massive.

Buttler alongside Moeen Ali will have to score rapidly during the slog overs to post massive scores. After a mediocre 2017 with the bat, he will look to score heavily in this year.

#4 Liam Plunkett

Liam Plunkett has many variations in his bowling arsenal

Liam Plunkett had an exceptional 2017 as he picked up 36 wickets at an outstanding average of 22.47 in just 18 matches. His role in the overs 11-40 is absolutely vital for England. He is quite tall and fast but his biggest strength is his variations with the ball.

England may look to use him in the death overs also to restrict the run flow and pick up crucial wickets. He is also no mug with the bat as he can hit some long sixes during the slog overs.

#5 Adil Rashid

Adil Rashid can cause much trouble to the Aussies with his spin bowling

The 29-year-old Adil Rashid is a bowling option that Eoin Morgan will look to use in the middle overs to pick up wickets. Nowadays all cricketing nations want to employ leg spinners in the middle of the innings as they are capable of stopping the flow of runs.

Adil Rashid picked up 26 wickets last year at 25.84 but he will face stern examinations in these ODIs. He should not curb down his attacking nature in this upcoming series. If he bowls well during middle overs, he should get satisfactory results as the Australians are vulnerable against spin bowling. He alongside Moeen Ali will look to provide consistency in their bowling department.