Shane Watson will not be risked in Sunday's tri-series final against England as Australia look ahead to the opening day of the World Cup in a fortnight, when they will face the old enemy again at the MCG.
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The all-rounder trained with the Australians in Perth on Saturday, and spent a lengthy time in the training nets alongside captain George Bailey, who completed his own marathon session with the bat in a bid to shake himself out of a period in which he has struggled for runs.
Watson, on the way back from a spell with hamstring tightness, was almost certain not to feature in the final, however, according to Bailey, with bigger priorities on the radar.
"He's travelling OK but I don't think he'll play, looking at the volume of stuff and knowing we have two hit-outs before our first World Cup game. I don't think there is any point risking him, no matter how minimal that risk was," the stand-in Australian captain said.
Watson's absence may create an opportunity for first XI aspirant and fellow all-rounder Mitchell Marsh to make his own fully fledged return from hamstring trouble after bowling just the three overs in Australia's wash-out against India on Australia Day.
If Marsh hopes to push for inclusion in the first-choice line-up for the World Cup itself, though, Bailey clearly does not believe it should be at the expense of Watson.
"If I was picking it, I'd definitely have him in it," he said of Australia's No.3, whose spot in the batting order will likely be filled by Steve Smith on Sunday.
"He's a match winner with bat and ball and well experienced. He's played in World Cups before and we don't have that many blokes who have played in World Cups, so he's one of the first picked in my book.
"The way our team is looking and the way he bowled in Melbourne ... he bowled a lot of overs for us and bowled really nicely, given a chance to build those overs up again and get miles in the legs."
Bailey said the return from injury of Michael Clarke in Sydney grade cricket was a "great sign".
"He wasn't run out, I hope, coming back for the third, dashing back ... that's great," he said. "As far as I know, that puts him well ahead of schedule. More importantly than the runs, he batted close on three hours, so for him to be able to sustain that physical activity is great for him, and really important for us having him back leading the side when he's fit and healthy."
Asked whether Australia could win the World Cup without Clarke, he replied: "Weird question, because I still think we can win it without him, but I'd certainly prefer to win it with him."
