Vaughan’s men look to test the world champions

London: It is a fundamental requirement of triangular one-day tournaments that, all things being equal, three teams should be involved.

Even the most politically correct of observers, however, would concede that the event starting at The Oval on Thursday is like a two-horse race and, at best, like England, Australia and A.N. Other in the form of Bangladesh.

To be fair to Bangladesh, who take on England in the opening match, far stronger sides would feel equally out of place.

The Ashes are the main dish of the English summer, pitting the world champions against their nearest challengers. In the meantime, every run and every wicket, whether in the Twenty20 format or one-dayers, will be analysed with that in mind.

Bangladesh’s one hope of not being marginalised altogether would be to stage a drama in one of their six pool games. The odds, though, are slim, despite this week’s limited overs win over Worcestershire.

They have lost all six one-day meetings with the world champions and all four against England. Only once in those 10 games have they managed to get past 200.

Bangladesh came to England with limited ambitions, hoping to prolong their two Tests into a fifth day, only to be trounced on both occasions by the third morning. In the one-dayers, coach Dav Whatmore will just hope that his unreconstructed strokemakers get lucky, at least once, as the weather warms and the ball seams less.

England have the bolder ambition of testing Australia.

The hosts are beginning to progress under Michael Vaughan, with exciting limited overs players in batsmen Marcus Trescothick, Kevin Pietersen, allrounder Andrew Flintoff and fast bowler Steve Harmison, even if they remain far more accomplished in the longer game.

If Vaughan wanted to be highly selective, he could point out that England have beaten Australia in their last one-dayer, their last Test and, after Monday’s victory, in their only Twenty20 meeting.

Ricky Ponting, however, has heftier statistics on his side, starting with a record eight Ashes series wins in a row. Before England upset Ponting’s men in the Champions Trophy semi-final last year at Edgbaston, Australia had won their last 14 ODIs between January 1999 and March 2003.

One-dayers are meant to be something of a lottery but Australian excellence ? Ponting has suggested that only one Englishman, Flintoff, would get into his team ? has made of nonsense of the notion.

England and Australia first cross swords in the tri-series on Sunday in Bristol, before meeting in Durham on June 23 and Birmingham on June 28. Barring miracles, flooding or earthquakes, they should meet in the final at Lord’s on July 2 as well.