World XI, Australia XI Super Series
World XI seek to avoid whitewash
—Flintoff set to move up the order

MELBOURNE—The misfiring World XI will have to force a win in the final one-day international XI to prevent a 3-0 series whitewash by Australia.
And their task is made no easier with the return of premier seam bowler Glenn McGrath to the hosts’ ranks.
Meanwhile, World XI batsman Kevin Pietersen (hamstring) and Aussie opener Simon Katich (groin) are doubtful.
With so many of the global superstars failing with the bat, Andrew Flintoff is likely to bat higher than seven.
He has produced scores of 38 and 42 while the middle-order engine-room of Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis has failed spectacularly. McGrath missed the middle match, when Australia smashed 328-4 before bowling out Shaun Pollock’s team for 273.
But he bowled superbly in the first match, with figures of 2-13 in seven overs, and Stuart Clark is likely to return to the sidelines after making his debut on Friday.
Young spinning all-rounder Cameron White, a supersub in both games, may start the final match and Australia also have the option of bringing in another all-rounder James Hopes, who is yet to appear in the series.
For the World XI, Makhaya Ntini is fresh and could relieve Shoaib Akhtar, who has not enjoyed the conditions at Melbourne’s Telstra Dome. If Katich does not play, the World XI may have a chance to claim some early wickets with the new ball, something they have so far failed to do.
Michael Hussey, currently batting at seven, is a natural opener and the most likely person to partner Adam Gilchrist.
It is Gilchrist who will be the most prized wicket for the World XI, with scores of 103 and 45 so far.
Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds told sportal.com.au the players were yet to hit overdrive.
He said: “Our fielding’s probably just a little bit behind where it has been in the past.
“But we’re a very proud team and we had a few things we had to prove to ourselves more than anyone and I think we’ve gone about that pretty well.
“We’re not into answering critics. Our team is about being the best team we can be and trying to improve and become a better side leading into the World Cup”.
He retains respect for the World XI.
“There’ll probably be a pride thing and we’d also like to win three-nil. The last game might bring the best clash,” said Symonds.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if the last game went down to the last over or something like that”.
Crowd favourite Andrew Flintoff is set to move up the Rest of the World batting order after impressing in the opening two games against Australia.
The Lancastrian has struggled with the ball in two comprehensive defeats but contributed typically fluent innings of 38 and 42.
“Fred has played so superbly well, maybe next game we’ll look to promote him,” skipper Shaun Pollock said.
“He is scoring at a run a ball and form is the key, we have to use form guys”.
The all-star Rest of the World XI has twice been bowled out cheaply at the Telstra Dome.
Middle-order maestros Jacques Kallis and Brian Lara have contributed a mere 24 runs between them in the two matches.
Pollock insisted: “Jacques is not normally out of form, he is someone you can usually really depend on and I am sure it will not be long before he snaps back into gear.
“Class players like him and Brian, it is just a matter of two or three good shots and they are right back in there, really dangerous”.
Pollock, hoping to avoid a whitewash in the final match of the one-day series, is keen to head into the six-day Test match in a more positive vein, but admits the timing of the matches has not been ideal.
“I am not looking to be critical but a lot of the guys have come off off-seasons, if we had caught them at the end of their seasons they would have been in better nick and able to perform better,” he said.
Australia (from): RT Ponting (captain), AC Gilchrist, SM Katich, DR Martyn, A Symonds, MJ Clarke, MEK Hussey, SR Watson, CL White, B Lee, GD McGrath, NW Bracken, S Clark, JR Hopes.
ICC World XI (from): SM Pollock (captain, South Africa), V Sehwag (India), CH Gayle (West Indies), KC Sangakkara (Sri Lanka), JH Kallis (South Africa), BC Lara (West Indies), KP Pietersen (England), A Flintoff (England), R Dravid (India), Shahid Afridi (Pakistan), DL Vettori (New Zealand), Shoaib Akhtar (Pakistan), M Muralitharan (Sri Lanka), M Ntini (South Africa).—Agencies