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SYDNEY, Monday (AFP) - Australia will resume the triangular one-day cricket series this week without injured strike pair Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie. Gillespie was ruled out of Thursday's day-night match against Sri Lanka after injuring his elbow in Australia's fifth Ashes Test defeat here on Monday.

McGrath, who missed the Test with a side strain, was also ruled out of the one-dayer and, while champion legspinner Shane Warne is ahead with his recovery from a dislocated shoulder, but he is still some way off playing. McGrath's fifth Test replacement, Andy Bichel, could also miss the match after fracturing a finger while fielding off his own bowling against England and taking a nasty knock to the damaged finger while batting.

Speaking after his side's 225-run loss to England in the fifth Test, Australian captain Steve Waugh said the World Cup squad, from which he has been omitted, is already focused on its task in southern Africa in February and March.

"I think the guys were a bit flat going into this game," Waugh said.

"Maybe part of the attention had turned to the World Cup as well because we'd won the series and the World Cup's not far away and you don't want guys getting injured.

"I think now, the players going to the World Cup, it's more about man management, not overplaying them now and making sure that they're peaking for the World Cup.

"That's where they're going to be judged ... they will be judged on this next series but the most important series obviously is the World Cup. "They've got to get right for that and make sure that they've got 15 players, the strongest possible team going and are as fit as they possibly can be." Australia is only part way through an arduous season with a loss by the defending champions at the World Cup meaning they could go into their West Indies tour in April-May on the back foot.

"It's going to be a very tough series, the West Indies series," Waugh said.

"Particularly, if the side doesn't win the World Cup, I think there's a bit of pressure to play well over there. If they don't win, then they've got to go straight to the West Indies for another couple of months so that will be a hard tour." Coach John Buchanan hinted this week the team would re-visit its policy of rotating pacemen with a view to resting them ahead of the World Cup.

Brett Lee looks like the only frontline bowler set to jump straight into the triangular series against Sri Lanka and England.

Australia are likely to rely on Lee, West Australian quick Brad Williams, New South Welshman Nathan Bracken, allrounder Brad Hogg and Shane Watson to fill the vacancies.

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