Harmison stays silent as England's injury list starts to shrink

In the nick of time, the wounded cavalry began riding to England's rescue yesterday. It was more a gentle canter than a full-blown charge with blaring bugles, but that did not make it any less welcome.

After a winter of continuous injuries, the sick list is at last getting closer in length to Shane Warne's run up than Glenn McGrath's. Considering that England are hanging on for dear life in the VB Series after two successive defeats, and are four weeks away and counting from the World Cup, this is essential.

Ashley Giles (broken wrist) was waiting for the team when they arrived here yesterday for two more matches in the triangular one-day tournament. Andrew Flintoff (double hernia) is due in from England tomorrow, there are indications that Craig White (torn side muscle) is steadily recovering, Michael Vaughan (knee) should be ready to play in the next game on Friday.

With that quartet to hand, England's one-day side begins to look not only different, but properly competitive. There was still no news overnight on Stephen Harmison (broken compass). Poor Harmison has had a nightmare couple of games in which he has struggled, at least early in his spell, to put the ball anywhere near the business area. It is causing an essentially diffident man (not all fast bowlers are angry aggressors) abundant embarrassment.

Harmison was reluctant to talk about his directional difficulties, though not half as reluctant as the team management were for him not to talk. "He's got enough on his plate," a team spokesman said. "He just wants to concentrate on putting right what's gone wrong."

It was Harmison who broke Giles's wrist in the nets shortly after the first Test, forcing the left-arm spinner out of the squad. If only Harmison could remember how he did that – fast ball, rising off a length – and repeat it in the middle against opposition members, his problems could be over.

Giles, who was away from the tour for seven weeks, expects to be available for the second match here over the weekend. He has no expectations of walking back into the side, but was obviously glad to be back.

"It was a clean break and it needed to mend and it has mended," he said. When you get hit in your wrist and it's your bowling wrist as a left-arm spinner there are situations where it could interfere with a career. But that would be very freaky and it wasn't that type of break."

He began net bowling two weeks ago and had his first batting practice yesterday. "I'm still rolling it out, it's still not spinning," he said. "I did try to get them to put my hand back on the other way so I could bowl a few Muralis."

The presence of the left-arm spinning all-rounder Ian Blackwell in the squad has made Giles's recall less than automatic. "Disappointingly, he's bowled quite well," he said amiably of his rival. "I always knew when he came into the side that it would be tricky for me because he can be so explosive with the bat and he can bowl a bit. His bowling has improved the more he's been exposed to the high level. He definitely could keep me out of the side."

The big difference in the squad since Giles departed is the elevation to genuine stardom of Vaughan. The pair have become close friends and are almost inseparable on tour.

"We've kept in touch a little bit, I think he's missed me," he said. "He's level-headed and I like to think I am. That's why we get on. Often we'll go out for dinner and don't talk very much cricket. We'll just talk absolute rubbish."

Talking rubbish over dinner is one thing. If this tour is to get better, England need Giles and Vaughan yakking on the pitch.