Siddle doubt for Adelaide

Siddle: Injury concern

Peter Siddle could miss Australia's third one-day international against Pakistan in Adelaide on Tuesday due to a back problem.

"You just have to hope when you send teams in that your bowlers do a good job for you and they probably didn't and they probably weren't allowed to, so that's the price you pay sometimes."
Ricky Ponting Quotes of the week

Siddle pulled up with a sore back following a fine spell of bowling in the second ODI in Sydney on Sunday - where the Aussies inflicted a massive 140-run defeat on the tourists.

While the Australians are hopeful Siddle will be fit, the national selection panel has opted to be cautious, bringing Queensland's Ryan Harris into the squad as cover.

Australian team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris: "Peter Siddle experienced some back soreness after last night's ODI in Sydney.

"He'll be assessed during the course of the day tomorrow when a decision on his availability for the match at Adelaide Oval will be made."

Same team

Australia do not want to change a side that has blitzed Pakistan in two ODIs so far, with Siddle and Doug Bollinger causing all sorts of problems opening the bowling.

Cameron White and Shane Watson are in good touch and both hit fifties as Australia made 267-6 on Sunday, but the bowling attack ripped through Pakistan as they mustered just 127.

Skipper Mohammad Yousuf's decision to bowl first backfired badly at the SCG, but Ponting could understand his choice.

"The game was obviously set up with the way (Watson) batted at the top," he said. "I was going to bat but I could understand him bowling because there was going to be a bit of movement there.

"But you just have to hope when you send teams in that your bowlers do a good job for you and they probably didn't and they probably weren't allowed to, so that's the price you pay sometimes.

"I actually said to our guys halfway through the innings I didn't think the Pakistanis would make 150 if we bowled well and that's the way it turned out. So full credit to all the guys, I thought we were excellent in all three aspects of the game."

Yousuf down

Yousuf agreed with Ponting, as he admitted his side failed to capitalise on the overcast conditions early in Australia's innings.

"They batted well and they bowled well and we gave early wickets and we didn't take advantage of winning the toss because of moisture in the wicket and cloud there," Yousuf said.

"We give them a lot of runs in the first 15 overs and Watson played well. I think it's a chaseable total on this track - they bowled well."

Asked if he is concerned by the increasing speculation surrounding his future as captain beyond the current tour, the mild-mannered Yousuf said: "This is not my hands, everything's in the board's hands. I always serve my country as a player or captain, it doesn't matter."

Australia (from): R Ponting (capt), D Bollinger, M Clarke, B Haddin (wkt), R Harris, N Hauritz, J Hopes, M Hussey, C McKay, S Marsh, P Siddle, A Voges, S Watson, C White

Pakistan (from): M Yousuf (capt), S Butt, I Farhat, U Akmal, K Akmal (wkt), S Ajmal, M Asif, U Gul, S Malik, M Aamer, S Ahmed (wkt), F Alam, Y Khan, S Afridi, R Iftikhar, K Latif, Naved-ul-Hasan