Aussies are favourites, flaws and all

The only times Australia have been under pressure this summer they were wearing coloured clothes. During the five Test matches against New Zealand and Pakistan they polished their records with wins that were mostly easy and hopelessly one-sided. But the one-day VB Series offers Australia further challenges, and Pakistan and West Indies a chance.

Green and gold fails to intimidate as much as baggy green, even though Australia have won the past two World Cups and lost only five one-day games in 2004. Despite calls for Shane Warne to end his ODI retirement after his comeback for the tsunami-appeal match, he will be toiling away for Victoria as Australia open the tournament against West Indies at the MCG on Friday and take on Pakistan at Hobart on Sunday. Warne's absence is one reason why their armour sometimes chinks.

A hit-and-miss middle order also gives the visiting sides hope of an upset. Australia's innings derailed twice with collapses in the drawn Chappell-Hadlee Series against New Zealand last month after Adam Gilchrist fireworks. And finding the correct balance with the bits-and-pieces allrounders of Andrew Symonds, Darren Lehmann, Shane Watson and Brad Hogg will produce plenty of chat over summer barbecues. Pakistan are experts in the potential worries and successes of players with both trades, especially in the cases of the unpredictable Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi and Azhar Mahmood.

Injury and fatigue are also hampering Australia's preparations, with Matthew Hayden resting from the first two games and Simon Katich struggling with a throat infection. Pakistan have lingering concerns over the dodgy backs of Inzamam-ul-Haq and Shoaib Akhtar, while West Indies have already called for Ricardo Powell to replace Ryan Hinds, who went home with a groin injury.

West Indies have been long-running favourites of Australia's annual tri-series - Friday's match is their 115th - and have won it six times, the last victory coming in 1992-93. This season they almost didn't make it, as lengthy contractual disputes threatened their participation, but the papers were eventually signed.

Still on a high after winning the gripping final of the ICC Champions Trophy in the dark at The Oval in September, West Indies will again want Brian Lara walking tall, and help must come from Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul as well if they are to reach the best-of-three finals series. A way to slow Australia's top three would also be invaluable.

Pakistan will carry a hefty squad of 16 around the country for six preliminary matches, and need to play at their best - all the time - to match their 1996-97 effort, when they beat West Indies for the trophy. Making the final, as they did against Australia in 1999-2000, would count as a success for a squad disrupted by injuries to senior players and employing a second-string support-bowling attack. But the comeback warm-up victory against Australia A on Wednesday showed that with application they can recover from their natural disasters.

Only three times have Australia not reached the finals of their own competition, and the last two failures hastened the one-day sackings of Mark Taylor and Steve Waugh. Owning a couple of team flaws, Ricky Ponting should have a few restless day-nights - but with Gilchrist, Hayden and McGrath alongside him, Australia expect to lift the trophy in the end.

Australia Adam Gilchrist (wk), Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting (capt), Damien Martyn, Darren Lehmann, Michael Clarke, Simon Katich, Andrew Symonds, Brad Hogg, Shane Watson, Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie, Michael Kasprowicz, Glenn McGrath.

West Indies Chris Gayle, Wavell Hinds, Ricardo Powell, Brian Lara (capt), Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Marlon Samuels, Xavier Marshall, Courtney Browne (wk), Ian Bradshaw, Dwayne Bravo, Reon King, Pedro Collins, Mervyn Dillon.

Pakistan Salman Butt, Yasir Hameed, Younis Khan, Yousuf Youhana, Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), Mohammad Hafeez, Taufeeq Umar, Shoaib Malik, Abdul Razzaq, Azhar Mahmood, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal (wk), Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Khalil, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Rao Iftikhar.