Yardy expects 'hurting' Australia to come out fighting

Spinner Mike Yardy agrees with world rankings which place Australia top of the ODI table, yet knows his own team are in a position to embarrass their Ashes rivals beyond expectations.

England go into today's fourth NatWest Series match at The Oval with a 3-0 lead and the series therefore wrapped up.

They very nearly slipped up with a collapse of six wickets for 18 runs last time out at Old Trafford, but with that behind them, captain Andrew Strauss has for the first time already publicly targeted a whitewash.

Yardy was more guarded on that score yesterday, but reports an unwavering belief of their own refined limited-overs abilities through the England camp.

"We have all bases covered, whether batting or bowling, plenty of options and also in the fielding," he said.

Strauss has taken over the captaincy from Paul Collingwood of broadly the same squad that delivered England's first ICC trophy, at the World Twenty20 last month, a campaign which culminated in a seven-wicket victory over Australia in the final.

Yardy, who has regained his ODI place on the back of his performances in the Caribbean, said: "There's been a big emphasis on the fielding – we proved that in the World Twenty20 and we're proving it now.

"We're learning – the England team has learned a lot over the last 12 months in one-day cricket, how we want to play it and how to move things forward."

Progress has been startling since losing 6-1 to Australia in the corresponding series last September.

Whitewashing the same opponents would take English cricket to rarefied new heights - but Yardy warns he and his team-mates must not get ahead of themselves. "Australia still have their big players like (Ricky) Ponting, (Michael) Hussey and (Shane) Watson – and bowling-wise, they still have pace.

"They are a top-quality international team – we regard them as the best team in the world – so it's a massive achievement to beat them 3-0.

"We're playing good cricket. No matter what level you play, having plenty of bowling options makes a huge difference. The main focus is 4-0. You can't win two games in a day.

"Australia will be hurting, and I'm sure they will come out fighting hard at us in the last two games."