Injured Hauritz facing World Cup heartache

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Nathan Hauritz's World Cup hopes are hanging by a thread following his dislocated right shoulder at Hobart and he faces a nervous few weeks before finding out whether he'll make the global one-day tournament. However, there was better news for Shaun Tait who has been cleared of serious injury but Mitchell Johnson won't be available for the third ODI against England at the SCG.

Hauritz was helped off the field in severe pain and underwent further scans on Saturday. They revealed 'moderate damage' to his shoulder and surgery hasn't been ruled out as an option for the offspinner who was Australia's one frontline spinner in their World Cup squad.

"Nathan had scans this afternoon following his shoulder dislocation yesterday," Cricket Australia physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said. "They have demonstrated moderate disruption of the supportive structures at the shoulder. We will now seek a specialist opinion to determine the next course of action.

"The treatment options include both conservative and surgical management. It is likely he will be unavailable for the remainder of the Commonwealth Bank Series and his availability for the World Cup will be determined in the coming weeks."

Xavier Doherty, the left-arm spinner, had already been called up to Australia's squad for the next two matches against England and would replace Hauritz at the World Cup. At least the hosts have had good news regarding Tait after he left the field five balls into his sixth over at Hobart with pain in his thigh. He hasn't yet been ruled out of Sunday's match at the SCG although it would be a major risk to play him.

"Shaun complained of some left upper thigh pain," Kountouris said. "As a precaution he was advised to stop bowling and leave the field. He had scans this afternoon which have cleared him of any new and significant damage. He will be assessed over the next 12 hours to determine his management and availability for tomorrow's match and the remainder of this series."

Johnson, meanwhile, has recovered from the throat infection which kept him out of the Hobart match but the medical staff don't feel he has had enough time to prepare for Sunday's clash. Peter Siddle, overlooked for the World Cup, has been added to the squad and will link up after playing Saturday's Big Bash match against New South Wales at the MCG.