Australia vs England ODI Series: 5 key players for Australia

The arch-rivals Australia and England will face each other in a five-match ODI series. Australia will feature in an international match for the first time since the unfortunate ball-tampering incident and they will be playing without the services of their two star batsmen - David Warner and Steven Smith. They have a new captain in the form of Tim Paine and it's going to be an uphill task for him as the team looks to build up for next year's World Cup. The Australian team will be eager to put the whole ball-tampering episode behind them and start afresh by winning the series.

As far as the England team is concerned, they are the clear favorites against an inexperienced Australian side in the upcoming series. In recent years, their emergence as one of the strongest teams in the 50-over format of the game has been a delight to watch. With a year left to the World Cup, they would like to fine-tune their combinations.

The five-match series kicks off on June 13 with the first match at the Oval. Here's a closer look at the 5 players who will have a big say for the Australian team in this series.

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#1 Aaron Finch

Known for his hard-hitting and ability to finish matches, Aaron Finch holds the key to Australia's success in this series. In the absence of David Warner, he has been named as the new vice-captain of the team. He is the most experienced player in the squad in terms of ODI appearances and will have the responsibility to help the youngsters in the team.

For his own motivation, he doesn't need to go too far back in time and might want to look at the last series against the same opponent played earlier this year. He scored 275 runs in that series, most by any player from both the teams. He smashed 2 centuries and averaged over 90. His team needs the same performance from him in this series too.

Aaron Finch in ODIs: Matches - 88, Runs - 3200, Avg. - 38.55, 100s - 10, 50s - 18

#2 Glenn Maxwell

Glenn Maxwell

Glenn Maxwell is one of the most dangerous batsmen around the world, especially in the limited-overs format. He can torment any bowling attack with his fearsome hitting. Over the years, he has become a key man in Australia's middle order in the shorter formats. With 81 ODI appearances, he is the second most experienced player in the side after Finch.

In the absence of Steven Smith, the onus will be on him to score runs in the middle overs. He can be handy with the ball too if needed. He was not able to make any significant contribution to the team in the practice games and will be determined to deliver some match-winning performances for his side.

Glenn Maxwell in ODIs: Matches - 81, Runs - 2069, Avg. - 32.33, 100s - 1, 50s - 15, Wickets -45

#3 Travis Head

Travis Head

Travis Head has become a vital cog of the Australian side in the past few years. During the process, he has donned multiple roles for his team given the situations. He has played mostly as a middle-order batsman but also opened the innings in some matches. He has been consistent in scoring runs for Australia regardless of his batting position. He can also be used in the fifth bowler's role as his off-spin is more than handy and capable of providing crucial breakthroughs to his team.

In the practice match against Middlesex, he scored an excellent century that saw his side win the game. He may take the role of the opening batsman in the series when Warner is not there to pair with Finch.

Travis Head in ODIs: Matches - 34, Runs - 1064, Avg. - 36.69, 100s - 1, 50s - 7, Wickets - 12

#4 Marcus Stoinis

Marcus Stoinis

An aggressive middle-order batsman and medium-pace bowler, Marcus Stoinis made his ODI debut against the same opponent back in 2015. He failed to secure a permanent place in the team then and dropped from the squad after playing a single match. He made comeback to the team in early 2017 and scored a swash-buckling 146* against New Zealand. This innings followed by some more incredible performances helped him to cement his spot in the side and now he is a regular in the 50-overs format.

He announced his form by scoring a century against Sussex in one of the practice matches. He is going to be a key player for Australia in the upcoming series.

Marcus Stoinis in ODIs: Matches - 13, Runs - 566, Avg. - 62.89, 100s - 1, 50s - 4, Wickets - 7

#5 Andrew Tye

Andrew Tye

Given the unavailability of pace battery of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins due to injuries, Andrew Tye will have the responsibility to lead the pace bowling attack of the Australian team. His ability to bowl yorkers at will and enough variations to keep the batsmen on their toes makes him a limited overs specialist. Not to forget, he had a great IPL season before coming into this series. He bagged 24 wickets in 14 matches with an impressive average of 18.66.

Tye has not much of experience as far as international cricket is concerned having, played only 4 ODIs and 12 T20Is. However, he has proven his worth in the T20 leagues around the world. It will be interesting to watch him bowl against the likes of Eoin Morgan, Alex Hales, Jos Butler and Jason Roy. These batsmen are going to have a hard time against his clever pace variations, especially the knuckle-balls.

Andrew Tye in ODIs: Matches - 4, Wickets - 8, Bowling avg. - 21.12, ER: 4.63