Ponting and McGrath rested as Australia and Pakistan clash

Glenn McGrath and Ricky Ponting are both rested from the NatWest Series encounter between Pakistan and Australia at Trent Bridge.

Although the game is of limited importance, with both sides having already qualified for the final on Saturday, Steve Waugh is keen to use the game for some experimentation as well as ensuring that the momentum of a winning run is not broken.

"We are trying a few things ourselves at the moment," Waugh admitted. "In these next two games we can experiment a bit more, but we still want to win. As a team we want to make sure we have a good sequence of winning games.

"The match has some importance, but once you get to the final it is a one-off event," he continued. "Even so it is nice to beat the team you are going to play in the final beforehand."

It is only Waugh's second game under lights in England, and although he stressed he enjoyed the occasion, he had doubts about the effectiveness of lights in the English summer.

"The down side here is that it does not really get dark until late, and the lights are not as good as they are in Australia," he said.

For Pakistan, Wasim Akram is still a doubt with his shoulder injury, though he is thought likely to play in the final.

Australia: A Gilchrist (wkt), M Hayden, M Waugh, D Martyn, M Bevan, S Waugh (captain), A Symonds, S Warne, D Fleming, J Gillespie, B Lee.

Pakistan (from):Saeed Anwar, Shahid Afridi, Salim Elahi, Abdur Razzaq, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Yousuf Youhana, Azhar Mahmood, Younis Khan, Fazl-e-Akbar, Rashid Latif (wkt), Waqar Younis (captain), Saqlain Mushtaq.

Umpires: Neil Mallender (Eng) and George Sharp (Eng). Third umpire: Vanburn Holder (W Indies). Match referee: Brian Hastings (Nzl).