England were bowled out for 131 in 33.4 overs and Australia knocked off the runs in 23.3 overs to win the first ODI by seven wickets at Optus Stadium in Perth, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Mahli Beardman, a 21-year-old fast bowler playing his first ODI, took 6-24 as England slid to 65-8. Will Jacks made 25 and Gus Atkinson finished 29 not out as the lower order pushed the total past three figures.
Beardman's 6-24 on ODI debut
Beardman's figures were the best by an Australia bowler on ODI debut, with Harry Brook and Joe Root among his six wickets. England's top order never settled on a surface offering pace and bounce, and the innings was finished inside 34 overs.
The average first-innings total in the four previous ODIs at Optus Stadium is 172, one of them a weather-affected 26-overs-a-side match. The report suggested a score closer to 200 might have been competitive on the bouncy, pacey Perth pitch.
McCullum: 'We weren't quick enough to adapt'
Head coach Brendon McCullum said the speed of the collapse caught England out. "It all happened pretty quick!" he told TNT Sports. "We weren't quick enough to adapt to the conditions."
McCullum said England had discussed the surface at length before the match, describing it as "a bit like batting on a trampoline, so there's certain shots which are very difficult to execute." He added that the side had expected more than 131.
England did play a warm-up game at the comparably bouncy WACA, unlike their preparation for the Ashes Test tour last winter, which also began with a heavy defeat at Optus Stadium. McCullum said there were lessons for the 2027 World Cup in southern Africa, where bounce will again test his batters.
Prior: 'They only have one gear'
Former England wicketkeeper Matt Prior, speaking on TNT Sports, said the batting group had no way to slow the game down. "You've got to have the ability to adapt, which the England batsmen didn't do," he said, adding that one criticism of the line-up is "they only have one gear, which is all-out attack".
Prior questioned whether England's preparation had transferred into the middle. "You can have all the team meetings you want, but if you can't take it from the dressing room out into the middle, that is a problem," he said.
Adelaide and Hobart next for England
The second ODI is in Adelaide on Sunday, with the third in Hobart on Wednesday; both start at 3.30am UK time. England are eighth in the world rankings and have lost four of their last five ODIs, a run spanning a tri-series in Pakistan and this defeat in Perth.
Prior said the losing habit has to be broken. "Like we say winning is a habit, so too is losing. They are going to have to shift it around," he said. "Coming back from behind is even tougher. It's going to be a massive challenge."
This report draws on the original coverage by skysports.com.
Residual tension: 65-8, the point at which the result stopped moving and the rest of the innings was played out at a single, flat pulse.
