Collingwood and Anderson Rested for Australia Clash

London: England stars Paul Collingwood and James Anderson will be rested for the next three and two matches respectively in the current One-Day International series against Australia.

Durham batsman Collingwood and Lancashire pace bowler Anderson have not missed an England fixture since early February and will finally get a chance to rest their weary limbs after being told they can leave the squad preparing for Saturday's match at Lord's.

Although England are 3-0 down in the seven-match series and need a victory on Saturday to have any chance of winning the series, it was decided that the strain of such a heavy schedule in the aftermath of the Ashes triumph has taken its toll on the duo.

he's sure to be fit for this contest, and England need him to live up to his new star billing if they are to reclaim any of the series momentum.

Ricky Ponting was last seen in England with puffy lips and the thousand-yard stare of the vanquished after losing the Ashes decider at The Oval. He subsequently announced his retirement from Twenty20 cricket, a decision designed to prolong his international career and give him the best possible chance of returning to England for one final shot at the Ashes in 2013.

Team news
England: Collingwood and Anderson are rested, having been ever-present in all England's teams since the tour of the Caribbean in February. Broad is one sure-fire returnee, with Adil Rashid also extremely likely to be given a chance to build on his promising debut at The Oval.

Squad (likely): Ravi Bopara, Andrew Strauss (capt), Matt Prior (wk), Owais Shah, Eoin Morgan, Luke Wright, Stuart Broad, Adil Rashid, Graeme Swann, Tim Bresnan, Ryan Sidebottom.

Australia: Ponting returns for his first match of the series, with Michael Clarke relinquishing the captaincy and Cameron White shunting down the order despite his century in the Rose Bowl victory. Australia seek to make as few changes as possible to a victorious line-up.

Squad (likely): Shane Watson, Tim Paine (wk), Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke, Callum Ferguson, Michael Hussey, Cameron White, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Hauritz, Brett Lee, Nathan Bracken.

Pitch and conditions
It's mid-September, so there's only so much that can be hoped for, although autumn appears to have been postponed right now, and so a full match is in prospect. Lord's has not been the paciest surface in recent seasons, and on the evidence of the second match, spin is likely to play a sizeable role.

Stats and trivia

• Lord's hosted the first Test against West Indies on May 6, which was the earliest-ever start to an international in England. The ground is now hosting its latest international of all time, beating the September 8 match against India in 2007.

Match facts
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Start time 10.15 (9.15 GMT)

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