England captain Michael Vaughan has vowed to lead next month's World Cup bid after limping out of the tour of Australia.

Vaughan's injury jinx struck again to rule him out of the best-of-three Commonwealth Bank Series finals, sparking fears that the recurring left hamstring injury may hamper him in the Caribbean.

England take on Australia in the first final at the MCG on Friday without the 32-year-old, who aggravated the problem in the 14-run victory over New Zealand on Tuesday which sealed their passage.

He missed five matches after incurring the problem in the tour's maiden victory, over the Kiwis in Hobart, and worsened the condition twice: firstly in practice in Perth and again in his Gabba comeback.

England's medical team have advised 10 days' rest and insist his participation at the World Cup next month will not be affected.

Nevertheless, the fact he has struggled to maintain his fitness over any sustained period since the first of two knee operations 14 months ago is a real concern ahead of the two-month slog of an event.

"It has been very disappointing on this tour to have no problems with my right knee and then a hamstring comes about," said Vaughan.

"I am desperate to play but we have to look at the future and certainly the next few weeks with the World Cup in mind.

"The medical staff have told me there is absolutely no doubt I will be on the plane for the World Cup."

In addition to Vaughan, England are likely to leave for the tournament on March 2 with injury clouds over James Anderson (back) and Jon Lewis (Achilles).

The inclusion of that trio, however, is no longer a gamble after the International Cricket Council ruled injured players can be replaced at any time in the light of Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds' shoulder damage.

"It is a good decision by the ICC to allow that to happen and we have Jimmy Anderson and Jon Lewis and myself with the kind of niggles which could reoccur," said Vaughan.

When Anderson departed the tour last weekend, England announced he was doing so despite being pain free, at a time when it was unlikely they would progress beyond the group games.

Since that 'precautionary measure' however, Lewis and Chris Tremlett have also returned home unfit to play, leading to a made dash from India for Leicestershire beanpole Stuart Broad.

Despite the chaotic comings and goings, Vaughan defended the decision to wrap Anderson, a certainty to take the new-ball in the Caribbean, in cotton wool.

"Jimmy was dying to go out there and play some cricket but the medical staff with all the evidence and expertise of the specialists said that a few weeks' break would be the best thing for Jimmy to perform at the World Cup," said Vaughan.

"He has always been able to swing the ball away from the right hander but he has now got this delivery that swings back in - and away from the left hander - and that is a crucial art to develop.

"He is certainly from his time away from the game come back a better bowler so he is crucial for our plans."

Anderson first burst onto the international scene a matter of weeks before the 2003 World Cup, where he was one of few English success stories.

Now 6ft 6ins Broad, at 20 the same age Anderson was back then, is hoping to get a chance to bowl himself into World Cup reckoning should he play in Sydney on Sunday.

"I'd have loved to have had a crack at the Aussies earlier - whether during the Ashes or whatever - but I've got an opportunity now," said Broad, who was overlooked for the senior tour and dispatched to Perth with the academy pre-Christmas.

"I thoroughly enjoyed my experience against Pakistan in the summer, we had some good crowds and a brilliant atmosphere, it gave me a real buzz and I felt I coped alright.

"But I could have done a lot better and hopefully the next chance I get, I can improve on that."

After five wickets in as many one-day internationals against the Pakistanis in September, Broad was embroiled in controversy when his father - former Test opener Chris Broad - questioned what bowling coach Kevin Shine was doing to his bowling action.

"I hadn't discussed it with him, so when I looked on the Internet that day, it came out of the blue for me," Broad said. "When I spoke to him he said it was his views and no reflection on me.

"I suppose maybe next time he might keep them to himself.

"Kevin Shine got me a lot more upright, which is why I'm in the position I'm in at the moment. I had no qualms at all."

Teams

Australia (from): RT Ponting (captain), AC Gilchrist (wicketkeeper), ML Hayden, BJ Hodge, MJ Clarke, MEK Hussey, SR Watson, CL White, NW Bracken, MG Johnson, GD McGrath, B Lee, GB Hogg.

England (from): MP Vaughan (captain), AJ Strauss, IR Bell, MB Loye, PD Collingwood, EC Joyce, RS Bopara, A Flintoff, JWM Dalrymple, PA Nixon (wicketkeeper), MS Panesar, SI Mahmood, LE Plunkett, CMW Read (wicketkeeper), SCJ Broad.

Umpires: SJ Davis & Asad Rauf (Pakistan)

Match referee: MJ Procter (South Africa)