England's one-day series in Australia starts Friday: a new-look home attack and five Surrey players to follow

Australia will be without their three best-known fast bowlers when the three-match one-day series against England starts in Perth on Friday 13 November. Here is what to watch for, and why it is a good week for young cricketers in Sutton to stay up late, or set an early alarm.

England's men play three one-day internationals in Australia over six days: Friday 13 November at Optus Stadium in Perth, Sunday 15 November at the Adelaide Oval, and Wednesday 18 November at Bellerive Oval in Hobart, according to the England and Wales Cricket Board. All three start in the early hours of the morning UK time, so this is a series for highlights at breakfast for most families.

The big talking point is who is not playing for Australia. Wisden reports that Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood have been rested to manage their workloads, and that Nathan Ellis is out with a side strain. That leaves one of Australia's least experienced pace attacks in years, with Xavier Bartlett expected to lead it and 21-year-old Mahli Beardman in line for his first one-day cap.

England, captained by Harry Brook, have their own experience to call on. Joe Root is in the squad, and Jofra Archer returns after being rested for the recent tri-series. For anyone following from Surrey there is plenty to cheer: five Surrey players are in the one-day squad, namely Gus Atkinson, Henry Crocombe, Sam Curran, Will Jacks and Jamie Overton. A five-match T20 series follows, starting at the MCG in Melbourne on Saturday 21 November.

Why does a young pace attack matter to a junior cricketer in Sutton? Because every international fast bowler started somewhere, usually bowling at a club on a winter evening, working on the same run-up and the same wrist position again and again. Watching how England's batters deal with bowlers they have rarely faced is a good lesson too: watch the ball, play late, and back your technique.

If your child would like to try that for themselves, Cheam Cricket Club's junior winter training runs indoors on Tuesday evenings for boys and girls in school Years 3 to 6 (6.10pm to 7.30pm) and Years 7 to 11 (7.40pm to 9.00pm), led by ECB-qualified coaches. There are four Tuesdays left before Christmas, 17 and 24 November and 1 and 8 December, all at Overton Grange School, 36 Stanley Road, Sutton SM2 6TQ. New families can book a free taster at https://www.cheamcricketclub.com/taster, and full details are at https://www.cheamcricketclub.com/winter-program.

Training returns on Tuesday 12 January 2027 at Harris Academy Sutton, the evening of our free Winter Open Day: https://www.cheamcricketclub.com/openday.

Sources: ECB fixtures, https://www.ecb.co.uk/news/4472411/england-men-whiteball-tour-of-australia-fixtures-announced ; ECB squads, https://www.ecb.co.uk/news/4591096/england-men-announce-whiteball-squads-for-australia ; Wisden, https://www.wisden.com/series/australia-vs-england-m-2026/cricket-news/how-australias-bowling-could-look-like-without-the-big-three-for-england-odis