Pakistan, Nov. 9 -- England white-ball coach Brendon McCullum is confident his batsmen will negate any short-ball challenge Australia present in the first one-dayer at Perth Stadium, having acclimatized to conditions with a warm-up game at the WACA Ground on Saturday.

England defeated Western Australia by 92 runs in their only hit-out before the three-match one-day international series begins on Friday. "When you come here with the bigger boundaries, the short ball is always a weapon for a bowler. You've still got to find ways to score off it, you can't just keep going under it," McCullum told reporters. "Our boys are all very good players of the short ball."

England had been criticised last year for playing an intra-club practice match...