Blow for England as Ajmal Shahzad is ruled out

England were left with four of the bowlers from their World Cup squad on the sidelines after Ajmal Shahzad was ruled out of the ongoing one-day international series against Australia due to a hamstring injury.

Shahzad underwent a scan in Sydney yesterday which revealed a minor tear in his hamstring and while he will miss the final two games of the already-lost series, he is expected to be fit in time for the World Cup.

The Yorkshireman will remain with the England squad in Australia to begin his rehabilitation, but it is a further blow to England's World Cup attack.

Spinner Graeme Swann (back/knee) and Tim Bresnan (calf) were forced to leave the tour early last week, while Stuart Broad is still recovering from the stomach injury he suffered during the Ashes.

All four are expected to be fit in time for the start of the World Cup though, with Broad revealing yesterday that he was ahead of schedule in his return. Broad is hoping to make his return after two months out of action for England's first warm-up match against Canada on 16 February.

Fellow quick Chris Tremlett was also ruled out of the sixth and penultimate one-dayer in Sydney after he also had a scan on a side strain yesterday, although he was cleared of suffering a tear to a side injury.

The tall right-armer will be reassessed in the coming days and may be fit to return to action for the final game in Perth on Sunday.

"Shahzad has suffered the type of minor hamstring tear that required at least eight days of rest, and, as such, he will be rested," an England and Wales Cricket Board spokeswoman said.

"The England team are remaining cautious with Tremlett (who is not a part of the World Cup squad] despite the scans showing no sign of a tear. The specialists will take another look at him in the coming days and make a further assessment before the final game of the series in Perth on Sunday."

England's batsmen will be aiming to put a disappointing one-day international series behind them, and re-establish their dominance over Australia this winter, when they play the first of two dead rubbers in Sydney today.

After conceding the seven-game series with a 51-run defeat in Brisbane on Wednesday, skipper Andrew Strauss admitted that his batsmen had let the side down.