England wait on Anderson

England face an anxious wait to discover whether James Anderson's injury has made him the first major casualty of their World Cup campaign.

The 24-year-old Lancashire seamer broke the little finger of his right hand during catching practice on Wednesday and was immediately sent for an X-ray.

The results of those scans were sent back home for England's medical experts to analyse and their thoughts will be passed on to the team management on Thursday before a decision is made on his future participation in the tournament.

If the injury is not regarded as that serious, Anderson will face a fitness test to determine whether he can play in Friday's crucial opening match against New Zealand in St Lucia.

As one of only two members of the attack with more than 50 one-day international appearances - all-rounder Andrew Flintoff is the other - his withdrawal would be a massive blow to England's ambitions.

Wednesday's injury setback followed an otherwise trouble-free build-up to the tournament, with captain Michael Vaughan showing no signs of the hamstring trouble which forced him home early from Australia and Jon Lewis recovering from his ankle problems.

If Anderson is ruled out it would mean an almost certain reprieve for Gloucestershire's Lewis, who looked to have lost out to Liam Plunkett for the second seamer's role in the attack.

It would also mean England going into their battle with New Zealand with a vastly inexperienced attack, which captain Vaughan concedes would make their success in this tournament all the more impressive.

"The World Cup is a massive stage with every team playing with all their stars and if we get to the final and win that, it would be an amazing achievement," said Vaughan. "It can be amazing how far a young team can go, but we'll have to wait and see how they react to the situation and react to the pressure.

"So far they have reacted very well in practice and I just hope they can take that enjoyment and excitement and focus they've shown into the game - if they do that they've got a good chance."