England put young guns on trial in ODIs

England bowling coach David Saker says possible Test spots for the Ashes in Australia this summer are also up for grabs.

The five-match series starts belatedly in Manchester on Sunday after the opening game in Leeds was washed out without a ball being bowled.

QUICK SINGLE: Old Trafford ODI preview

Among those who will be under heavy scrutiny from English selectors is a pair of rising allrounders, 22-year-old Ben Stokes and 24-year-old Chris Woakes, who made his Test debut against Australia at The Oval last month.

Another all-rounder, uncapped Chris Jordan, teenage fast bowler Jamie Overton and seam bowler Boyd Rankin are others of particular interest for the future.

Saker pointed out a big difference between the skills needed for the ODI and Test formats but said performances in series would count in Ashes selection.

"I'm sure everyone will be looking at these games a little bit with that (Test) squad in mind," he said.

"You can't always read a lot into white-ball cricket for red-ball cricket - but because there are some exciting players in our group, we're going to have a good look at them."

With England opting to rest the core of their victorious Ashes squad from the one-day tour, Saker said he was relishing a chance to work with some raw talent.

"You can start coaching again, I suppose," Australian Saker said.

"With the Jimmy (Andersons) and Stuart (Broads), you've probably done all you can with them pretty much.

"So to get new guys is exciting - especially when they're bigger guys.

"It is about getting to know them for one, getting some trust that way, and then just passing on cricket knowledge more than techniques.

"I like to see how they think about the game, and get to know how they think they can get wickets, how they work out batsmen, how they talk about things ... find out what they are about."

Jordan and Overton are in line for possible ODI debuts against Australia on Sunday.