Brook wants England to be among 'fittest, strongest' teams ahead of 2027 World Cup

Harry Brook speaks with his bowler, Gus Atkinson Murtaza Ali / © NurPhoto via Getty Images

Twelve months on from where a wretched Ashes tour began, England have returned to the familiar surroundings of Perth determined to become one of the "strongest and fittest" teams in the world with next year's ODI World Cup on the horizon.

While they arrived last year amid bedlam, hounded by the local press and mocked daily by Perth's tabloid newspaper, England's squad have been left alone, underlining the gulf in interest of a white-ball tour compared to the Ashes.

Even the sight of Joe Root having a lengthy session at the WACA nets, in full public sight, did not make those walking by stop stride.

It's meant that England have been able to go about their preparation for the ODI series, starting on November 13 at Optus Stadium, without the white noise that dogged their Ashes tour.

After skipper Harry Brook's fresh leadership had reinvigorated an ailing ODI team, England's perception as an enigmatic side returned following a disappointing tri-series in Pakistan where they won just one of four matches against the hosts and Sri Lanka.

England are hoping for a bounce back against Australia in this three-match ODI series. They've opted for a much different approach to last year's Ashes tour, where their only warm-up to the first Test was an intra-squad match on a slow surface at Lilac Hill, a club ground in Perth's eastern suburbs. England infamously went on to lose the Test match inside two days, setting the tone for a dismal 4‑1 series defeat.

Learning from that, England will play a Western Australia side - mixing youth and experience - in a one-dayer on Saturday at a revamped WACA ground set to attract around 5000 fans

"The conditions (at the WACA) always feel a lot closer to Optus than Lilac Hill," a grinning Brook told reporters on Friday. "The bounce, the carry, the pace of the pitch - it's miles away from what Lilac Hill offered us.

"But, thankfully, we've got the opportunity to play here and train here over the last couple of days, and we're looking forward to it."

While the past has been inevitably dredged up, England have focused on setting a standard in their training and preparation after their off-field attitude came in for intense criticism during the Ashes.

"With the World Cup 12 months away, it's a good period now to really start to try and nestle down, hone in on the skills and the lessons that we've learned," Brook said.

Where will England fit in Jacob Bethell? © AFP/Getty Images

"Key thing is to try and be one of the fittest and strongest sides in the world. To be able to try and dominate throughout that competition (World Cup).

"Obviously, whether you win or lose isn't always there. You can never guarantee that, but the off-field...you can guarantee the off-field preparation can be a lot better. Can really help towards winning games."

England do have several selection dilemmas ahead of the series. Adil Rashid, England's second-highest ODI wicket-taker and first-choice white-ball spinner for a decade, was overlooked for three games in Pakistan. Left-arm spinner Liam Dawson was preferred, having been long backed by Brook, and performed well under pressure to heat up the selection debate.

"He's been training the last few days. He's good. He's bowling nicely," Brook said of Rashid. "The decisions to not play him have been typically conditions based. We felt that left-arm was more suitable to the conditions in Pakistan as we saw throughout the series generally."

The main focus of England's batting make-up will be over the return of Jacob Bethell from a knee injury. His last ODI was in July against India where he belted 91 at the top of the order, but the success of Ben Duckett and Tom Banton as an opening partnership means he might have to drop down the order to find a spot.

"That's a conversation for me and Baz [Brendon McCullum, England's white-ball head coach] to have down the line," Brook said. "He's [Bethell] obviously just coming back from fitness now. He's a very good player and could be a very vital player for us moving forward."

Adil Rashid or Liam Dawson? That's been one of the selection questions for England © Sameer Ali/Getty Images

England last played at the WACA ground during the 2017‑18 Ashes tour, the last time a men's Test match was held there before moving to Optus Stadium. The tour game there before the series is best remembered for a very raw Lance Morris bowling a wayward short delivery first up to Root.

Morris will be unleashed in his long-awaited return from injury and will share the new ball with emerging quick Mahli Beardman, who is set to lock horns with Brook in expected fireworks that might just be the start of a mouthwatering rivalry.

"I've never played against him. I've watched him in the Big Bash for the Scorchers. He looks like an exciting bowler," Brook said of Beardman, who has played one T20I for Australia.

"He's got some pace behind him. He's got a nice action as well. Looking forward to seeing what he can do out here.

"But at the end of the day, we've got to go out there and trust our skills against whoever we're playing. This is a great opportunity to play against a strong Western Australian side. It's a great challenge for us."