PERTH: England white-ball coach Brendon McCullum is confident his batsmen will negate any short-ball challenge Australia present in the first one-dayer at Perth Stadium, having acclimatised to conditions with a warm-up game at the WACA Ground on Saturday.

England defeated Western Australia by 92 runs in their only hit-out before the three-match One-day International series begins on Friday.

“When you come here with the bigger boundaries, the short ball is always a weapon for a bowler. You’ve still got to find ways to score off it, you can’t just keep going under it,” McCullum told reporters. “Our boys are all very good players of the short ball.”

England had been criticised last year for playing an intra-club practice match at the slow-and-low Lilac Hill, a suburban ground which bore no resemblance to the fast-and-bouncy Perth Stadium.

The WACA Ground has retained its traditional seam-friendly characteristics though, and paceman Jofra Archer looked particularly menacing for the tourists with 3-34.

“He looked like he was charging in nicely... he’s got skills at the top, in the middle and at the death so it was nice for him to get through some overs,” said McCullum, who has lost seamer Josh Tongue to a left big toe injury.

“We love coming out here and playing against Australia. It’s always a great contest, albeit their side looks slightly different from it normally does, there’s never a weak Australian side.”

Australia are looking to bounce back from a multiformat drubbing in South Africa. The hosts are resting pace trio of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2026