Anderson aims to revive England

England

James Anderson hopes his return to the England team can help turn around their poor one-day form which has left them in a must-win situation heading into the fourth ODI at Adelaide. Anderson arrived back in Australia at the weekend following a post-Ashes break back home that left the visitors with a second-string attack.

Along with Anderson's absence for the first three matches, Stuart Broad is also out injured while Graeme Swann hasn't played the last two games due to a knee problem and has also suffered a back spasm. Tim Bresnan has now been forced out of the series with a calf strain so Anderson's return will be a timely boost for the squad. However, he still has to show he's over the effects of another long journey before taking his place.

"To be honest we'll just see how the next couple of days go," he said. "I'll practice tomorrow [Tuesday] and if I come through practice I'll certainly be putting my name forward for selection.

"I'd like to think I bring some energy with both my bowling and fielding. I don't think we are that far away having seen the first three games. We aren't far away from a win and turning the momentum around."

Energy has been a buzzword for England in this series. It's one of the reasons Matt Prior was recalled to the World Cup squad because of the part he plays in the fielding unit and it was noticeable on Sunday, at the SCG, how Paul Collingwood, who replaced the injured Kevin Pietersen, tried to get under Australia's skin.

The end result, though, hasn't proved very effective although the depleted bowling attack has done a reasonable job only to be let down by some poor batting in the last two matches. But despite the scoreline, and the prospect of conceding the series very early, Anderson insists the squad are as buoyant as when he departed in the afterglow of the Ashes.

"I know we are 3-0 down but the dressing room seems just as positive as when I left," he said. "They are still in good spirits. We know we are just one game away from turning the momentum around. We are looking to Wednesday to be a good all-round performance with both bat and ball."

Anderson has twice benefited from England's rotation policy, firstly last winter when he missed the tour of Bangladesh and now this latest break. He was the stand-out bowler during the Ashes, sending down 213 overs in the five Tests for 24 wickets, so was grateful of the down time and believes the current injury problems show how important it is to factor in these periods of rest.

"It was nice to get a break. My body certainly needed it after the Test series," he said. "As you've seen we've got a couple of injuries at the minute. It's crucial that we go into the World Cup with a full-strength squad. The management have made good decisions in the past resting players so I'm sure they are going to do exactly the same leading up to the World Cup."

England will again have to consider the balance of their side at Adelaide because, for two matches running, they have not had the ideal attack for conditions. In Hobart they were a quick bowler short then they strengthened that department on a slow pitch at the SCG where James Tredwell could have been useful.

Spin is likely to play a role in this match, but Anderson has fond memories of what a swing bowler can do following his Test performance. His first-morning burst when he removed Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke to leave Australia 3 for 2 set England on their way to victory. They are desperate for something similar again from their leading bowler.

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Hussey and Lee hand Australia 3-0 lead

Australia

Australia put themselves within touching distance of taking the one-day series with a four-wicket victory at the SCG. David Hussey guided them home in an uncertain run chase with an unbeaten 68 alongside Victoria team-mate John Hastings after Brad Haddin's aggressive 54 set the early pace. England were kept interested by early wickets and a double for Paul Collingwood but there were always too few runs on the board for a depleted bowling attack.

It was an important innings for Hussey, who reached his fifty with a six, after he was named in the World Cup despite not playing ODI cricket for 18 months and he showed the finishing skills that have so often been evident for his domestic teams. He had important support from Steve Smith (26) after Australia wobbled on 5 for 114 then, after Smith departed to a horrid swipe, Hastings showed why he's off to the World Cup with a composed 18.

It was a match low on batting quality as England limped to 214 only thanks to Jonathan Trott's determined 84. Continuing their pattern of the series they handed wickets to Australia, this time including the run-out of Andrew Strauss, but the home side weren't blameless when it came to their dismissals. That at least kept the contest interesting until Hussey rattled down the target with consecutive boundaries off Ajmal Shahzad and Australia had four overs in hand.

When Collingwood, recalled to the side to replace the injured Kevin Pietersen who has a groin strain, claimed two wickets in the first two overs England suddenly sniffed a victory to haul themselves back into the series. Collingwood failed again with the bat when he missed a straight ball from Xavier Doherty, but trapped Cameron White lbw with his second delivery and then had Haddin, who was earlier dropped on 37, caught at long-on for 54 from a needless shot.

Haddin put Australia well ahead of the rate but kept losing partners. Shane Watson missed a drive at Chris Tremlett in the second over and Shaun Marsh, promoted to No.3, was brought back down to earth after his 110 at Hobart when he was lbw to Shahzad. Michael Clarke's form showed no signs of improving as he chipped Chris Woakes' sixth ball in one-day international cricket to midwicket, where Michael Yardy juggled the catch.

It should have been 4 for 68 when Haddin drove to mid-off but Tremlett couldn't take the chance low to his left and Haddin brought up his fifty with a fine cover-drive only to put pressure on his team-mates with poor shot selection. The difference at the moment, though, is Australia's belief is on the rise and England's is taking a hit, which is especially evident in the batting

With the exception of Trott, whose innings is also likely to spark debate, no one covered themselves in any glory against an Australia attack lacking two first-choice options in Nathan Hauritz and Shaun Tait. Injuries are a problem for both sides - Tim Bresnan has been ruled out of the series - but the hosts are covering their casualty list with much more aplomb. On this occasion, Doherty was impressive with 2 for 37 and Hastings showed his all-round value.

Brett Lee was the overall pick, though, and began England's problems in the first over when he removed Matt Prior lbw for his second consecutive duck since his recall. A wicket to the new ball is forgivable, but the mix-up between Strauss and Trott was shambolic as they were left standing at the same end. The only reason the third umpire was needed was to decide Strauss was the man to go.

Ian Bell got a leading edge back to Watson who took it with a dive in his follow through before Trott and Eoin Morgan began a recovery with a stand of 50. Morgan, though, had struggled to settle with two near-misses in his innings before pulling a long hop from Hussey to midwicket. He's just lost his knack of finding the gaps.

There was help on offer for the spinners but England made it look even harder. Collingwood opened his account with an edge past leg stump then missed a delivery which took off stump. Yardy continued to struggle when he chipped a limp return catch to the bowler and it left Trott needing to bat out the innings.

He and Luke Wright added 49 but it was slow progress as Trott dealt in singles for 40 consecutive scoring shots, then Wright gave it away with a loose drive at Hastings. Lee hustled through the lower order and Tremlett's run-out when he failed to ground his bat summed up how England, so outstanding during the Ashes, are starting to make costly basic errors. It's a long way back from here.

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Hauritz faces shoulder surgery

Australia

Nathan Hauritz's World Cup hopes are hanging by a thread with it confirmed he would undergo surgery after dislocating his right shoulder at Hobart. He now faces a nervous few weeks before finding out whether he'll make the global one-day tournament. However, there was better news for Shaun Tait who has been cleared of serious injury but Mitchell Johnson won't be available for the third ODI against England at the SCG.

Hauritz was helped off the field in severe pain and underwent further scans on Saturday. They revealed 'moderate disruption' to his shoulder and it has been decided surgery is required although the medical staff remain hopeful over his World Cup chances.

"Nathan Hauritz will have arthroscopic surgery of his shoulder joint in Melbourne," Cricket Australia physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said. "This is a small procedure that we hope will give him the best opportunity to be available for the World Cup.

"He will then have a period of intense rehabilitation and attempt to return to training in the coming weeks if we feel this is appropriate. His availability for the World Cup will depend on his progress through this rehabilitation."

Xavier Doherty, the left-arm spinner, had already been called up to Australia's squad for the next two matches against England and would replace Hauritz at the World Cup. At least the hosts have had good news regarding Tait after he left the field five balls into his sixth over at Hobart with pain in his thigh. He hasn't yet been ruled out of Sunday's match at the SCG although it would be a major risk to play him.

"Shaun complained of some left upper thigh pain," Kountouris said. "As a precaution he was advised to stop bowling and leave the field. He had scans this afternoon which have cleared him of any new and significant damage. He will be assessed over the next 12 hours to determine his management and availability for tomorrow's match and the remainder of this series."

Johnson, meanwhile, has recovered from the throat infection which kept him out of the Hobart match but the medical staff don't feel he has had enough time to prepare for Sunday's clash. Peter Siddle, overlooked for the World Cup, has been added to the squad and will link up after playing Saturday's Big Bash match against New South Wales at the MCG.

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Marsh and Bollinger star in Australian victory

Australia

Shaun Marsh wasn't deemed good enough to be in Australia's World Cup squad, but in his first outing as Mike Hussey's injury replacement he cracked a brilliant hundred to lift his team from a hopeless position to 46-run victory at Hobart. Marsh's 110 rescued the hosts from two collapses, then England put together a poor run chase as Doug Bollinger completed a fine all-round match with four wickets.

Australia's top order slumped to 4 for 33 and, following a 100-run stand between Marsh and Cameron White, they slipped to 8 for 142, before Marsh turned the game on its head. But his matchwinning effort wouldn't have been possible without Bollinger, who showed previously unknown batting prowess to hit 30 in an Australia record ninth-wicket stand of 88.

Marsh was given a life on 61 when Ajmal Shahzad dropped a return chance and went from 84 to 101 in the space of one Michael Yardy over, the 45th of the innings, with two boundaries through midwicket followed by a six in the same direction to bring up his hundred from 101 balls. The run chase should still have been within England's grasp but they never formed a solid foundation.

Bollinger was key to that when he extracted Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen with consecutive balls. Strauss was struck on the back leg and was happy to take the umpire's lbw verdict, only to be talked into a wasted review by Jonathan Trott. Pietersen then got an inside into the stumps, although Bollinger missed a hat-trick when Ian Bell pulled wide of short fine-leg.

Bollinger later returned to snuff out any last-ditch charge from the lower order when he had Tim Bresnan, batting with a runner due to a calf strain, caught at third man and trapped James Tredwell lbw in a performance that has confirmed his World Cup credentials.

However, Australia's victory came at a cost. Nathan Hauritz suffered what appeared to be a dislocated shoulder when he dived in the outfield, and it was shocking luck for a player making his first appearance since the start of the Ashes. He left the field and went straight to hospital in serious pain. A short while later, Shaun Tait limped out of the attack five balls into his sixth over having pulled a muscle in his left thigh.

England's innings had made a poor start when Matt Prior marked his recall in opposite style to Marsh with a third-ball duck when he edged Brett Lee to first slip. There was no shortage of pace from the Australia attack and Trott had no clue about the bouncer from Tait which he gloved over the slips.

However, Trott and Bell began to settle the run chase only for it all to come unravelling as the evening closed in on Hobart's first floodlit one-day international. After the fire and brimstone from the quicks, the sight of Steve Smith would have been a signal to increase the tempo but instead Trott pulled his second ball straight to midwicket.

With Michael Clarke sensing a crucial moment he recalled Lee, who snaffled Bell with a wide delivery that was cut to point. It continued the trend in the early stages of this series of England handing Australia wickets on a plate. Yardy and Eoin Morgan suggested a fightback and their pair opted for the Powerplay in the 34th over only for Morgan to be superbly caught by Tait running towards the boundary and Yardy run out.

England will ask themselves some serious questions about how they twice let Australia off the hook. The pick of the attack was Chris Tremlett, another World Cup discard, who claimed 3 for 22 and Ajmal Shahzad also claimed three but the problem came in a lack of incisive support for the three main quick bowlers with the absence of James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann.

This was the same England pace attack that played against Australia A here in November when they were classed as the reserve unit to the Test trio, but with Anderson and Broad still away from the squad they are currently the main men. Shahzad found early swing and took Watson's inside edge into the stumps with Brad Haddin following in similar fashion as he tried to drive.

That left the out-of-form Clarke under pressure to steady the innings. It was a situation made for Test-style batting and Clarke battled against the moving ball without ever threatening fluency except for one flick over midwicket off Shahzad. However, the manner of his dismissal won't have done him any favours when he slapped a wide ball straight cover to leave Australia 3 for 21.

David Hussey was then well caught in the gully when he fended at Tremlett. Without his brother to guide a rescue mission Australia needed someone else to bail them out of trouble. The innings was first revived by White, who escaped a top-edged pull on 2 that split three fielders, and Marsh as they negotiated the tough period before cashing in against the reduced threat of England's spinners. Marsh did an excellent impression of the man he has replaced, Mike Hussey, as he latched onto anything loose and showed good footwork.

White is more of a stand-and-deliver batsman and they formed a productive pair which also benefited from the left-right-hand combination that made life tougher for the bowlers. The momentum was just switching to Australia with White using his feet to elegantly drive Yardy through the covers, but next ball pushed back a return catch on 45.

That began Australia's second slide of the innings and when Lee missed a straight ball from Yardy the end was coming quickly, but confidence is slowly returning to this team and they hauled themselves off the floor in emphatic style.

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Australia hopeful Hussey can make World Cup

Australia / World Cup 2011

Australia are hoping that the World Cup schedule will give Michael Hussey enough time to recover from the serious hamstring injury that has ruled him out of the remaining one-day matches against England and put him in major doubt for the global tournament. Hussey underwent surgery on Tuesday after tearing the muscle off a bone during the first one-dayer at the MCG and faces a lengthy rehabilitation program.

Adding to the problem of risking Hussey at the World Cup is that the captain Ricky Ponting is still recovering from the broken finger he sustained during the Perth Test and which subsequently required an operation. Although Ponting is much less of a concern for the tournament proper, there remains the chance that Australia could travel with two unfit frontline batsmen in their squad.

"What gives us the leeway is the gap between games," Michael Clarke, Australia's stand-in captain, said. "We've got two practice games and then I think our first actual game is February 21. I think there's a bit of a gap there as well. There's a bit of time which is on our side. I'm hearing good reports that they're confident if all goes well they can get him [Hussey] fit to take part in the World Cup. It's just a matter of when he'll be fit and if selectors are willing to take that risk to take him not being 100%.

"I guess the concern is we're trying to get the skipper as fit as possible so hopefully he can take part in those two practice games. The selectors have to weigh up if we can we take Hussey as well, knowing he mightn't be fit for those first couple of games. We'll know more in time. I think the main thing right now is that Huss does everything in his power to make it heal. We just sit, watch closely and keep our fingers crossed in the hope that he pulls up well."

The odd nature of the injury has made it difficult for Cricket Australia to accurately predict when Hussey might return and they won't have a clearer picture for a number of weeks, which pushes them even closer to the World Cup. "As this is an unusual injury in cricket we will be closely monitoring his progress and making appropriate progressions," Alex Kountouris, the CA physiotherapist, said. "As yet we have not determined a fixed time for his return to cricket training and playing. This will become clearer in the next two or three weeks."

However, a leading sports doctor has said Hussey faces a long period on the sidelines and that the World Cup will be out of reach. "Our experience with that particular injury, it's a three-month plus [recovery time] in most sports," Peter Larkins told the Sydney Morning Herald. "The fact he had surgery ensures he won't be going to the World Cup.''

Shaun Marsh, the Western Australia batsman, has been drafted into the squad for the next three matches against England and would be the player to step up if Hussey was ruled out of the World Cup squad but Clarke knows they are massive shoes to fill.

"He's been a huge player, not only this summer in the Test format but over a long period of time in one-day cricket," he said. "I think in the subcontinent conditions are going to be quite tough for the middle-order players and I think his experience and knowledge in those conditions would be really helpful."

Ponting, meanwhile, is around the squad in Hobart and will spend other periods with them during the remainder of this series. It isn't impossible that he could squeeze in a match before the summer is finished.

"I think it's more day-by-day, keep seeing Alex, keep seeing how it's healing then they make a plan as soon as they can," Clarke said. "I'm confident Ricky will be right to play the World Cup, it's just about how much batting he gets under his belt leading up to that first game. The sooner the better I think for our team."

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Vettori savours great start to series

New Zealand

Daniel Vettori credited his bowlers for the crushing nine-wicket victory over Pakistan in the first one-dayer in Wellington. Led by Tim Southee in supreme form, the New Zealand seamers skittled Pakistan for 124 in 37.3 overs, before some ballistics from the New Zealand top-order ensured a fast finish, as they chased the total down in 17.2 overs.

"It was a really good start to the series," Vettori said. "The swing at the start, particularly from Tim, was the real key. We put the Pakistani guys under a lot of pressure and we never really let up, so it was a great start for us."

Southee stunned the Pakistan top-order with a brilliant display of swing bowling, as he beat the bat repeatedly with outswingers before mixing in the one that darts back in towards the stumps. Southee collected career-best figures of 5 for 33, bettering his four-wicket haul against Australia at the same ground in March last year. New Zealand's other bowlers also pitched in, bowling tight lines and keeping Pakistan on the back foot, even if they didn't generate the kind of movement that Southee did.

"We were able to create pressure and hold onto that pressure for a long time," said Vettori. "No bowler who came into the attack ever let it up. Particularly from that top end, I could keep attacking with Tim and Hamish [Bennett] and we just kept getting wickets so it made it easy.

The Westpac Stadium pitch too played a small part, despite appearing a good batting track on first look. Both captains said they would have batted first on the drop-in- surface, but Vettori would have been glad he lost the toss, particularly as the pitch seemed to have flattened out during New Zealand's run chase. "Most of the bowlers enjoyed bowling on this wicket," he said. "To be honest we thought it was going to be a bit flatter than that but it just had enough in it. Sometimes the wickets that just have a little bit in it are the hardest to play on."

Vettori was also impressed with the performance of Hamish Bennett in his third one-dayer. Bennett's hit-the-deck pace and bounce proved a valuable contrast for Southee's big seamers, as Bennett picked up 3 for 26 from eight overs.

"I think [Bennett] was a little bit nervous at the start. I think he only played the two games [in Bangladesh], so he was playing in front of a New Zealand crowd for the first time, and that's why we held him back to bowl first-change. Once he got through that first over I thought he was outstanding. He hit really good areas and bowled at a good pace so he'd be a good foil for the opening bowlers."

Brendon McCullum moved down the order for the first one-dayer, relinquishing his opener's spot to Martin Guptill, who will look to partner Jesse Ryder in the World Cup as McCullum aims to provide impact in the batting Powerplay later on in the innings. Martin and Ryder made 84 for the first wicket in 10 overs, all but sealing the victory for the hosts. "Jesse and Martin are good friends and they like batting together so I think that will help their combination. They enjoyed playing on that sort of wicket. It's a different one because we won't be playing on that sort of wicket in the World Cup, but this series is about getting back that winning feeling and hopefully we started it today."

Waqar Younis claimed New Zealand's bowlers had made it tough for the Pakistan batsman to recover from early losses with a sustained spell of tight bowling. "It was not easy at all, " Waqar said. "The only way you could get out [of a bad situation] is to slowly build a partnership and make sure that the other batsmen come in when the new ball has gone through. Full credit to all their bowlers, they didn't really give us any room to hit or release the pressure."

Waqar also defended his batsmen, who were out playing expansive strokes when the situation called for patience and application. Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi and Umar Akmal were all guilty of getting themselves out while attempting to break the shackles, and the loss of their wickets put pressure on Misbah-ul-Haq who tried to hold down an end, before exploding towards the end, with nine wickets down.

"It happens when you're three down in the first ten overs," Waqar said. "It's never easy and the run-rate dying all the time. The bowlers didn't give us anything and that's where played some false shots and we couldn't really get out of it."

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