Jamie Smith will bat at No. 3 and keep wicket for England in their Champions Trophy opener against Australia, marking his first ODI match at this position. Joe Root drops to No. 4, having previously held the No. 3 spot for years. Smith, who has played ODIs primarily at No. 5 or 6, will play alongside Root, Harry Brook, and Jos Buttler, strengthening England’s middle order. Brydon Carse returns fit as the third seamer. Meanwhile, Australia faces challenges due to the withdrawal of five senior players. England’s XI features Phil Salt, Ben Duckett, Smith, Root, and others.
Joe Root has been the preferred No. 3 for England for nearly a decade but dropped to No. 4 in the last match of their recent ODI series in India—which they lost 3-0—and will continue in that position against Australia. Smith has primarily batted at No. 5 or 6 throughout his seven-match ODI career so far, but he will step into a new role during his inaugural ICC event.
England faced challenges in balancing their lineup following Jacob Bethell’s injury in India, appearing one batter short in the second ODI and lacking adequate bowling in the third. They have opted for a batting-heavy formation at the onset of the Champions Trophy, with Liam Livingstone positioned at No. 7, necessitating shared 10 overs between Livingstone and Root.
Root has occupied the No. 4 spot in 56 of his 163 ODI innings, though the majority of those came in the early stages of his international career. Placing Smith at No. 3 shifts England’s core batters—Root, Harry Brook, and Jos Buttler—to positions 4-6, reinforcing their middle order after experiencing several collapses in India.
After suffering a calf injury that sidelined him from the conclusion of the T20I series and all three ODIs in India, Smith only participated in two of England’s eight white-ball matches during the tour. However, he is fit to play against Australia and will don the gloves ahead of Phil Salt—who will open alongside Ben Duckett—and Buttler.
Brydon Carse has also recovered from a toe injury that kept him out of the second and third ODIs in India, and he has been selected over Gus Atkinson, Jamie Overton, and Saqib Mahmood. He will bat at No. 8 and serve as England’s third seamer, with Jofra Archer and Mark Wood expected to share the new ball duties.
Australia’s squad for the Champions Trophy has been affected by the last-minute withdrawals of five key players: Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Marsh (all due to injury), along with Marcus Stoinis (who has retired from ODIs) and Mitchell Starc (for personal reasons). The two teams last squared off in this format at the conclusion of the 2024 English summer, where Australia secured a 3-2 series victory.
England XI vs Australia: 1 Phil Salt, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Jamie Smith (wk), 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Jos Buttler, 7 Liam Livingstone, 8 Brydon Carse, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Mark Wood.