Can England strike an early blow against Australia?

After the relative fun of the Twenty20 clash between England and Australia, things get a little more serious pretty quickly as the two old enemies are joined by Bangladesh for the NatWest Series, which begins on Thursday. And though Bangladesh are unlikely to bring too much to the table, if their Test defeat were anything to go by, the chance to score a psychological edge ahead of the Ashes is sure to make the England-Australia clashes pretty tasty.

As the all-conquering winners of the last two World Cups, the Australians are understandable favourites to win the series, and bet365 are bullish about their chances, making them 2/5 (1.40) to win. England are 7/4 (2.75) while the follhardy or just plain mad can back Bangladesh at 100/1 (101.00).

Considering that it's effectively a two-horse race, with a one-match final at Lord's to decide the winner, 7/4 on England looks a generous price. They did, after all, beat the Aussies in the Champions Trophy last September. However, whatever they may say about one-dayers not mattering to the Ashes outcome, Ricky Ponting's side will be desperate to open some mental scars early in their tour.

Australia have won their last seven one-day matches, nine of their last 10 and 16 of their last 20. England, in contrast, have won just four of their last 10 and only 10 of their last 20. Bangladesh have won just nine of their 106 one-dayers, but on a positive note, they've actually come out on top in five of their last 20, a much-improved effort.

With the greatest of respect, though, Bangladesh are going to be mere bystanders for this one, so it's crucial to look at the head-to-heads between the big two. Of their 78 contests, England have won 32 and lost 44, with one tie and one no-result. At home, it's slightly better, 14 wins apiece, with one tie. The big difference comes in their most recent clashes, with Australia victorious in nine of their last 10 meetings. Of course, that run coincides with a great period of Australian dominance of the world game.

Grounds
Ten different grounds will be used for the series. Of those grounds, Lord's is the most successful for England in one-day matches, with 16 wins from 30 matches. The Oval is a close second, with 15 wins from 24, while at Edgbaston, they've triumphed 14 times and lost just nine times. Trent Bridge is their least successful ground, with just seven wins and eight losses. Thankfully for England, however, they play Bangladesh there.

England and Bangladesh also kick off the series with a meeting at the Oval on Thursday while the first clash between the Ashes rivals is on Sunday at Bristol.

CAMBERS' CHOICE: England to win at 7/4 (2.75)