ENG vs AUS Dream11 Prediction (1st ODI): 3 players you can pick as captain or vice-captain for today's match

England and Australia lock horns in the first of 3 ODIs at Old Trafford in Manchester today.

The hosts look almost unbeatable in the white-ball formats, and have registered wins against Ireland and Pakistan. More recently, England were triumphant against Australia in the recently-concluded T20I series, with the visitors looking rusty and failing to capitalise on opportunities that presented themselves.

The Kangaroos made a return to international cricket in the T20I series, and last played an ODI in March 2020. With captain Aaron Finch and David Warner in good touch, they will be keen on upsetting the English white-ball party.

England, on the other hand, welcome back Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer and Joe Root to the ODI squad after all three players missed out against Ireland earlier in the summer. Eoin Morgan's side will be keen on putting up a strong showing against their Ashes rivals ahead of the Indian Premier League.

Here are three players you could pick as captain or vice-captain in your Dream11 team for the ENG vs AUS 1st ODI.

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#3 Mitchell Starc

England v Australia - 3rd Vitality International Twenty20

The only bowler on this list, Aussie quick Mitchell Starc is almost always guaranteed to pick up wickets since he bowls in the most difficult stages of innings. The left-armer's prowess with the new ball and potency at the death make him Aaron Finch's primary strike bowler, and he can be expected to claim a huge points haul.

Starc also has an excellent record in England, and took 27 wickets in 10 games at the 2019 World Cup in the country with two 5-wicket hauls. The 30-year-old may even chip in with some handy runs with the bat, but he is primarily in the team to derail the formidable Three Lions batting lineup.

Starc is a good choice to be the captain or vice-captain of your Dream11 team for the ENG vs AUS 1st ODI.

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#2 Jonny Bairstow

England v Australia - 2nd Vitality International Twenty20

After a couple of single-digit scores in the first two T20Is against Australia, Jonny Bairstow returned to form with a sedate (by his standards) 55. The Yorkshireman has shown signs of form in the ODI format as well, and scored a blistering 82 against Ireland back in August.

Bairstow is primed to truly unleash himself against the Australians ahead of the Indian Premier League. He will be as dangerous as ever in the powerplay and with the ball coming onto the bat decently while new at Old Trafford, he could take on the quicks.

Bairstow is another good choice to be the captain or vice-captain of your Dream11 team for the ENG vs AUS 1st ODI.

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#1 Steve Smith

England v Australia - 3rd Vitality International Twenty20

With scores of 18, 10 and 3, Steve Smith didn't have the greatest of T20I series against England, with a combination of poor shot-selection and misfortune preventing him from scoring heaps of runs like he usually does.

And as we know, the former Australian captain is far too good to not score against England in this ODI series. Smith will be itching to be amongst the runs again after having been away from cricket for a considerable amount of time, and in the 50-over format, he won't need to take too many risks.

Smith is the perfect candidate to be the captain or vice-captain of your Dream11 team for the ENG vs AUS 1st ODI.