While England freely admit they’re a white-ball team in transition, Australia are holding their cards closer to their chest as they prepare take on their oldest rivals with several key players absent.

Captain Mitch Marsh confirmed Josh Hazlewood would return for Wednesday’s first T20I against England (beginning at 3.30am Thursday AEST) but they’ll still be missing Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell for the three-match series.

The hosts will blood three debutants in the Southampton after Australia also handed T20 caps to Jake Fraser-McGurk and Cooper Connolly during their series sweep over Scotland last week.

England revealed their team on match eve, with batter Jordan Cox, 20-year-old allrounder Jacob Bethell and Jamie Overton to make their T20 international debuts at The Rose Bowl in what is their first match since their T20 World Cup semi-final loss to eventual champions India in June.

Overton, who is set to return to Adelaide Strikers for a second straight season in KFC BBL|14, will play as a specialist batter as he continues to recover from a back stress fracture.

England XI for first T20I: Phil Salt (c, wk), Will Jacks, Jordan Cox, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Sam Curran, Jamie Overton, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Saqib Mahmood, Reece Topley

With 15 players absent across the two T20 squads (seven for Australia and eight for England) that featured at the global tournament in June, the next three weeks (consisting of three T20Is followed by five ODIs) looms as cricket’s biggest rivals feeling each other out at the beginning of a new World Cup cycle.

But Aussie skipper Mitch Marsh is bullish it isn’t a transition period for his side following their Super Eight elimination.

Indeed, Australia is in the middle of a golden run in the T20 format, winning 13 of their 16 matches in 2024 – the most wins they’ve had in a calendar year – but two of those losses (to India and Afghanistan) cost them a spot in the World Cup semi-finals.

Cummins, Starc and Maxwell have all been managed for this series, Nathan Ellis has flown home due to a hamstring injury and selectors appeared to have moved on to Josh Inglis with veteran wicketkeeper Matthew Wade omitted.

Ashton Agar was also not selected and champion opener David Warner has retired.

“We’ve certainly got guys that are missing this tour and some young guys that are getting opportunity, but I don’t necessarily see this as a transitional period for us,” Marsh told reporters in Southampton on the eve of the series.

“It’s Australia versus England so it’s always a fierce battle.

“I thought we played some really good cricket (in Scotland), and we’re certainly ready to go for this series.”

England on the other hand recently appointed Test head coach Brendon McCullum to take over their white-ball sides after Australian Matthew Mott was sacked following the World Cup.

While he’s not due to start in the role until January’s tour of India, interim coach Marcus Trescothick agreed there were parallels between England’s last seismic limited-overs reset following their disastrous 2015 ODI World Cup campaign.

That shift would deliver two world crowns – a maiden 50-over triumph in 2019 followed by their T20 win in Australia in 2022, which was Mott’s first tournament in charge.

But the writing was on the wall for the Mott after England again failed to reach the knockout stages of last year’s ODI showpiece.

“It kind of matches up, doesn’t it?” Trescothick said of the similarities to 2015 when Trevor Bayliss was appointed head coach.

“You know what’s coming with the next leadership (of McCullum).

“It’s a great opportunity just to set a few standards or the process of what’s going to be like.

“I’ll speak the same language; I’ll promote the same ethos of style of play because I already know what is coming from Brendon and beyond.

“We’re looking at the next generation because we have a bit of time to prepare and expose them so we can see how they react in what we’re trying to do.

“We know there’s great talent within the county game, it’s just picking and choosing the right ones that we think will succeed at international cricket because it is a slightly different game.”

Along with their three first-gamers, England also have recent 20-year-old Test debutant Josh Hull, Dan Mousley and John Turner (both 23) as uncapped players in their T20 squad.

Phil Salt is deputising as captain for Jos Buttler who missies the series with a calf injury, while Moeen Ali has retired from international cricket and Jonny Bairstow and Chris Jordan weren’t selected.

Qantas Tour of the UK 2024

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Australia T20 squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood (England games only), Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Riley Meredith, Matt Short (England games only), Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

September 4: Australia beat Scotland by seven wickets

September 6: Australia beat Scotland by 70 runs

September 7: Australia beat Scotland by six wickets

September 11: First T20 v England, Rose Bowl, Southampton, 3.30am Sept 12 AEST

September 13: Second T20 v England, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, 3.30am Sept 14 AEST

September 15: Third T20 v England, Old Trafford Manchester, 11.30pm AEST

Australia ODI squad: Mitch Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa

September 19: First ODI v England, Trent Bridge, Nottingham, 10pm AEST

September 21: Second ODI v England, Headingley, Leeds, 10pm AEST

September 24: Third ODI v England, Riverside, Chester-le-Street, 10pm AEST

September 27: Fourth ODI v England, Lord’s, London, 10pm AEST

September 29: Fifth ODI v England, County Ground, Bristol, 8pm AEST