England look to redeem honour

All is well with the Australian camp. They avenged the humiliation in England with a clinical 5-0 demolition of their arch-rivals in the Ashes and are now determined to make the visitors dance to their tunes in the ODI series, starting Sunday. They have already rested Mitchell Johnson while fit-again James Pattinson was not considered for the opening ODI.

Australia:Opening batsman Shaun Marsh has also been unable to win selection for Sunday's opener, with Aaron Finch likely to partner David Warner at the top of the order and Shane Watson at number three.

Pattinson was sent home from the 2013 Ashes tour with a back injury, but he has claimed seven wickets in three Big Bash League games recently.

While Australia's ODI series with England is a crucial warm-up for the 2015 World Cup to be hosted by Australia and New Zealand, it's also a chance for players like Pattinson to audition for a spot in the Test squad to tour South Africa in late January.

Clarke has said Australia would take winning momentum into the ODI series, but that would come from Australia's 2-1 ODI series win in England in September rather than their recent five-nil Ashes whitewash.

Australia are rated second in ODI cricket behind India, with England at three.

Key Players:Watch out for David Warner, who was outstanding in the Ashes and promises to make 2014 his year after a tumultuous 2013. Also eager to impress would be George Bailey, who after his roaring success in the ODIs against India, was Australia's weakest link in the Test series. This could well be his last chance to impress the selectors before Australia's much anticipated tour of South Africa next month.

England:England go into the opening one-day international in Melbourne on Sunday desperate to salvage some pride, but face a torrid task with a fired-up Australia vowing no let-up after dominating the Ashes.

The series could see either team reclaim the number one limited-overs world ranking, depending on how India fare when they face New Zealand in a five-match series that begins in Napier on January 19.

A rattled England head into the series without the experience of Kevin Pietersen and Jimmy Anderson, who have both been rested, with Cook leading a team that has much to prove.

Former left-arm spinner Ashley Giles has taken over from Flower as the one-day coach, assuming responsibility with Cook for repairing some of the damage inflicted by Australia.

Only all-rounder Ben Stokes and paceman Stuart Broad came out of the Ashes with a semblance of pride, leaving the door open for the likes of Danny Briggs, Jos Buttler, Chris Jordan, Ravi Bopara and Chris Woakes to stake their claims in the one-day format.

Broad will be rested for the matches in Melbourne and Brisbane - as well as a tour game in Canberra in between - to allow him time to recover from the Test series, an England and Wales Cricket Board spokeswoman confirmed to Press Association Sport.

Key Players: Much maligned and criticised, Cook will want to show he is the right man to lead England in this rather difficult phase. The southpaw struggled against Johnson's raw pace and he will be relived that his tormentor will not feature in the season opener.

When you strip everything down, every single player has to go back and have a look at themselves, have a look at their techniques. Have a look at the way they've bowled and start rebuilding again.And that hunger has to come from within to do it. - Alastair Cook, England captain

This is an important series because we will be playing in the same facilities that we will play the World Cup in, the same pitches, and against an opposition that is going to play a huge role. - Michael Clarke, Australia captain

Stats: 270: The number of runs Michael Clarke needs to surpass Ricky Ponting as the top run-scorer against England in ODIs. He currently has 1328 runs against them at an average of 45.79.

36: The number of wickets Shane Watson and James Anderson have taken in Australia - England ODIs. They are currently joint third on the list of top wicket-takers in Australia - England ODIs.

3: Number of catches Michael Clarke requires to become the sixth Australian with 100 or more catches in ODIs.

Teams:

Australia (From):David Warner, Aaron Finch, Shane Watson, Michael Clarke(c), George Bailey, Glenn Maxwell, Brad Haddin(w), James Faulkner, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Clint McKay, Xavier Doherty, Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Marsh, James Pattinson

England (From): Alastair Cook(c), Ian Bell, Joe Root, Ravi Bopara, Eoin Morgan, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler(w), Tim Bresnan, Chris Jordan, James Tredwell, Boyd Rankin, Gary Ballance, Danny Briggs, Stuart Broad, Michael Carberry, Steven Finn, Chris Woakes