MELBOURNE (Reuters) – England captain Jos Buttler said his team may struggle to fire up for the ODI series against Australia after only a few days’ rest in the wake of their T20 World Cup triumph.
England, who beat Pakistan in the final in Melbourne on Sunday, meet Australia at Adelaide Oval on Thursday in the first of three one-dayers, a series with nothing major at stake for either team.
“It’s going to be a challenge,” white-ball skipper Buttler told reporters on Wednesday.
“There’s no point saying all the right things, that we’ll be at our best.”
England now hold both global limited-overs trophies, having won the 50-over World Cup on home soil in 2019, but their dominance does not guarantee enthusiasm for more cricket at the end of a long tour of Australia.
All-rounder Moeen Ali said it was “horrible” to have another game so soon after Sunday’s final.
Team mate Sam Billings, who was not a part of the T20 World Cup squad, was more welcoming.
“We’re great mates with a lot of those Aussie guys, but when it comes onto the pitch, you want to beat them,” he said on Wednesday.
“It’s always a great rivalry and always great games, regardless of the format. We’re really looking forward to it.”
Australia are fresher than England after missing out on the semi-finals at their home T20 World Cup.
Australia’s new ODI captain Pat Cummins said he expected England would still be up for the contest.
“They’ll be strong no doubt, even if a bit tired,” he told reporters.
“We feel like we probably didn’t play as well as we know we can (at the World Cup) so here’s an opportunity straight away to play against the best. It’s great.”
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; editing by John Stonestreet)
