Robert Key swaps the whites of the Ashes series for the blues of the triangular tournament hoping the free-scoring format of the next few weeks can provide inspiration for England in the remaining two Tests.

The Kent youngster has, in common with the other England batsman, found it difficult to demonstrate the full range of his strokeplay during the opening three Test defeats because of the accuracy of Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Shane Warne.

With orthodox fields and men around the bat, the tourists' have found it difficult to improvise and find new areas for scoring but Key is hopeful the less strict format of one-day internationals may provide an opportunity to develop ideas which could also be taken into the final two Tests at Melbourne and Sydney over Christmas and New Year.

''I'm going to go out there to enjoy it, try a few things out that you don't get the chance to do in Test cricket and, hopefully, if we take them into the Tests it might work,'' said Key, who joined up with the rest of the one-day squad in Sydney yesterday after earning his place in the squad while Michael Vaughan rests his sore right knee.

''They're a really good side but all they do is the basics really well. They don't run up and bowl magic balls at you, they bowl outside off stump and they don't let you score a run.

''They are good but it's their discipline that counts. None of their bowlers run up and bowl big outswingers, they know exactly how to bowl and set the fields according to how each of them bowls and their discipline and their basics are what it is all about.

''They bowl in a decent place and give themselves a chance of getting you out - they very rarely bowl you a bad ball.

''There are ways to combat someone bowling outside off stump, leaving it and things like that, because it's not as if you're out there wondering how you're going to survive, you're just wondering how you're going to score.''

England's efforts to disrupt McGrath's rhythm and accuracy have so far ended in failure - captain Nasser Hussain tried unsuccessfully to charge him, while Key was trapped leg-before walking across his stumps during the last Test defeat in Perth.

''Nasser tried it a bit when I was batting with him in the last Test when McGrath just wasn't bowling a bad ball,'' explained Key.

''He started running at him and I tried walking across a couple of times but I was out lbw - you have to work on a couple of things just to try and break up his rhythm.

''I enjoy one-day cricket because it gives you a chance to play your shots a bit more, particularly against these boys when you're fighting for every run, leaving a lot and deciding whether or not to have a go.

''Sometimes you can't wait for a bad ball out here and you have to try and make something out of nothing. This is a good chance to try a few things and possibly take things into the Test series.''

England begin their build-up for the first section of the one-day series - which comprises matches against Australia in Sydney and Melbourne before taking on Sri Lanka in Brisbane and Perth - with day-night matches against strong New South Wales and Australia A sides at the Sydney Cricket Ground over the next few days.

After three defeats in the Test series, it also gives England a chance to regroup