England to play 50-over warm-up against Western Australia XI at the Waca on November 7
England will play a 50-over warm-up match against a Western Australia XI at the Waca in Perth on 7 November, ahead of their white-ball tour of Australia later this year. The fixture takes place six days before the first one-day international at Perth's Optus Stadium.
Coach Brendon McCullum said last month he was hoping to arrange warm-up fixtures to get players "up to speed" before next year's 50-over World Cup, and this match represents that intent. White-ball warm-up games have become rare on tours; England have not played one for six years. The decision contrasts with the preparations for last winter's Ashes when England played a single in-house warm-up at Lilac Hill after the England and Wales Cricket Board said the Waca was unavailable.
England’s 50-over squad carries limited ODI experience because Jos Buttler and Adil Rashid were injured and Joe Root was the only player in England's XI for the third ODI against Sri Lanka with more than 50 caps. "Aside from Jos, Joe and Adil Rashid, there's not a lot of experience in that side," McCullum said. "We're going to try and put on a smattering of warm-up games to try and get guys up to speed as quickly as we can."
On form, England began 2026 by winning in Sri Lanka and followed that by beating the same opponents and India at home this summer, while overall they have struggled in 50-over cricket despite winning three series in a row this year. The side has a minimum of 20 official ODIs scheduled before next year's World Cup in southern Africa.
Additional warm-up fixtures are planned ahead of England’s Test tours of South Africa and Bangladesh this winter and before the one-off 150th anniversary Test against Australia in Melbourne in March. Those preparatory matches were arranged before McCullum was replaced by Stephen Fleming as Test coach this summer.
Discussions between the England and Wales Cricket Board and Cricket Australia about a reciprocal arrangement for touring-team preparation have taken place since the Ashes. England suffered a heavy Ashes campaign last winter, losing the first Test in Perth inside two days and then being beaten in the following two Tests, which led them to concede the series at the earliest opportunity.
England’s white-ball programme in Australia runs from 13 November to 2 December and comprises three ODIs and five T20s. The team also have a 50-over tri-series in Pakistan against the hosts and Sri Lanka later this month, for which England have called up Crane and rested Archer.
The Waca warm-up on 7 November now sits immediately ahead of England's scheduled white-ball tour of Australia, which begins with the ODI and T20 programme from 13 November to 2 December.
