Melbourne [Australia], February 21 (ANI): Ahead of his nation's campaign opener in the ICC Champions Trophy against arch-rivals England, former Australian cricketer Shane Watson backed the Men in Yellow and said that they will be 'hard to beat' in the ongoing marquee event despite being missing their top three bowlers in the competition.

Australia head to Pakistan as the reigning world champions in the 50-over format and sit second in the men's ODI team rankings.

But with just one win from their last five ODI matches - and key bowlers Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc all missing from the squad - questions have been raised about their ability to claim the trophy in Pakistan.

'I think Australia will be very hard to beat, even if their bowling squad is not quite as experienced as they might otherwise have been,' Shane Watson said, as quoted by ICC.

The loss of Cummins, Hazlewood and Starc, who are missing due to a combination of injury and personal reasons, opens the door to a different crop of Australian bowlers, headed by Nathan Ellis and Spencer Johnson.

They are 30 and 29 years old, respectively, and have 10 ODI caps between them. Sean Abbott is the most experienced fast bowler with 26, and Watson is confident they can take their opportunity.

'You have to be at your very best in this event, with this format - you have to hit the ground sprinting, let alone running. Spencer Johnson doesn't swing it much but the ball flies out of his hand, he's quick, he's tall, he gets bounce and it is beautiful to see how easy it he finds it to bowl at the speeds he does. It's a great opportunity for him,' the World Cup-winning player said.

'Sean Abbott has always done a really nice job. He is great with the older ball, the way he releases it, and he has great speed. There is Nathan Ellis, who is highly skilled and massively underrated in international cricket. He is a known force in franchise cricket and does a great job but I think this could be his breakout year in international cricket, so I am excited to see how he goes,' the 43-year-old added.

In the end, the former all-rounder said the Australian pace attack is inexperienced but they know how to execute under pressure.

'They may be inexperienced as a group in internationals but these quicks have all played high-pressure cricket in the Big Bash and other T20 tournaments - they know how to execute under pressure,' Watson concluded.

Australia Champions Trophy squad: Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa. (ANI)