White's rib a blow to England's heart

As Craig White revealed in Melbourne yesterday that he had torn a muscle under his ribcage, it was inviting to think how side-splitting it all was. If you did not laugh you would simply have to cry.

White was merely the latest casualty in England's long and dire winter, but he immediately concentrated minds not on the Fifth Test in Sydney but on the World Cup. England, like all the other competing countries, must name their party of 15 by 31 December, and will duly do so in Sydney on Tuesday.

The severity of the injury has yet to be determined but White did not sound awash with optimism. "We're going to wait until Sydney, but it could be six weeks till I'm all right to bowl again," he said.

Thus were England's preparations for the World Cup thrown further into disarray. Nor is the news from home, that discontent rumbles on about their intention to play one of their pool matches in Zimbabwe, calculated to smooth their passage. The Cabinet member Clare Short told Radio Five Live yesterday that she considered the prospect of England playing in Zimbabwe "deplorable and shocking".

The team have a triangular one-day series in Australia to complete first but it is certain they will go to South Africa – though they may not go to Zimbabwe at all – with a party they can never have envisaged a fortnight ago.

There are now doubts over the fitness of White, Andrew Flintoff, Ashley Giles and Alec Stewart. Flintoff is still recovering from a double hernia operation he had last September, Giles broke a wrist in Australia and is not yet fit, Stewart missed the Fourth Test because of chronic syno-vitis, a form of arthritis, in his right index finger.

The regulations, published by the International Cricket Council last week, seem to give England carte blanche to change their squad as long as they have prior written agreement from the World Cup Event Technical Committee and three doctors pronounce players unfit. The surest-fire certainty is that they will need to take advantage of this procedure.

Since England have based what passes for a World Cup strategy on plucking any and all all-rounders from the shires, both White and Flintoff would have been certain selections. They have rarely played in the same side – one or both has usually been injured – and although White has a poor one-day batting record there is no question that they are the best of their breed in England.

Several players have made late and unexpected bids for selection, making a nonsense of the dictum that experience is all in big-time one-day cricket. England are likely to find out the hard way in South Africa.

Two of the likely number, Steve Harmison and James Anderson, only started playing one-dayers in Australia a week or so ago. Ian Blackwell was a late call-up, because of injuries, for the Champions Trophy in Colombo.

The man who could well have played himself out of the party unless he improves over the next few weeks here is Ronnie Irani.

The man who has a chance to play himself into the party is Adam Hollioake. He should be wished well: there would have been a Hollioake in the squad had Adam's brother Ben not died in a car crash last March, and Adam has not been treated well by England's selectors.

England's batting looks fragile unless the top order make a weight of runs, and this is a tradition. Only four English No 7s have made half-centuries, out of some 126, only two No 8s out of 72. This cannot be purely because England do not play enough limited-overs games.

The bowling too looks as though it will be somewhat vulnerable and you would not write anywhere, let alone home, about the fielding. That is a reason for Jeremy Snape, who broke a hand in the nets before the VB Series began, still having a chance. He is a nerveless batsman and an astute fielder. England have few of either.

It is easy to suspect both that the squad selected on Tuesday will not be precisely that which eventually arrives in South Africa, and that whoever does will not be detained long in the competition.

Possible squad: N Hussain (Essex, capt); A J Stewart (Surrey, wkt); N V Knight (Warwickshire), M E Trescothick (Somerset), M P Vaughan (Yorkshire), P D Collingwood (Durham), A Flintoff (Lancashire), C White (Yorkshire), I D Blackwell (Somerset), A F Giles (Warwickshire), A R Caddick (Somerset), M J Hoggard (Yorkshire), S J Harmison (Durham), J A Anderson (Lancashire), J N Snape (Leicestershire).