Richardson returns to reignite Cup charge

Fast bowler Kane Richardson has reunited with Australia's one-day squad in Dubai after overcoming the side injury that curtailed his tour of India, eager to re-join a winning squad and restart his World Cup campaign.

Richardson was forced home early from the tour of India with side injury picked up after batting in the nets ahead of the opening T20 international in Vizag, while Nathan Coulter-Nile has also rejoined the team after he left India early for the birth of his daughter.

"I thought I was done for the season," Richardson said in Dubai overnight. "So it's always nice to get a positive and be able to come back and play some sort of cricket.

"It could have been a lot worse but also disappointing to miss the last tour.

"It was amazing waking up every morning to check the scores and see they did it again," he said of Australia's recovery from defeat in the first two ODIs to claim the series 3-2.

And while they will face a Pakistan side that has made eight changes from its regular ODI line-up, Richardson is adamant there will be no let-up or easing up in the five-match series that serves as Australia's final official hit-out before the World Cup.

"(We bring) massive momentum into this series, but you want to back it up," Richardson said. "It's professional sport, you want to win every game and this is a huge series going into the World Cup.

"We climbed the mountain of (beating) India now it's about backing it up against Pakistan who are another quality side."

Richardson admitted it was an "unknown" how the reintroduction of banned batters Steve Smith and David Warner was going to go, but any uncertainty quickly eased.

"Everyone in the end was just really glad to see them," Richardson said. "They've had a really tough 12 months. They've done their time. In 10 days they're back available so it will be nice to see them back playing cricket in the IPL as well."

With that process behind them, Australia's support staff took the opportunity to put the squad through an extensive battery of fitness testing drills that will be used to individually tailor training regimes to ensure players arrive at the World Cup training camp in early May in peak physical condition.

Head Coach Justin Langer's fanaticism about fitness is well known and the results of his punishing regime appears to have been reaping benefits which will be key for the Aussies ahead of a long winter with the Ashes to follow the World Cup.

Physical performance coach Aaron Kellett had the players running, sprinting, jumping, lifting and diving their way around the training ground for a treasure trove of data used to compare the players' physical condition now against what it was at the start of the Australian summer.

"We can get a snapshot on the cost of doing business of a long Australian summer – what I mean by that is what is the impact on the guys' physical qualities from playing a lot of cricket, with the view to use that info to tailor their training through the month of April, " Kellett said.

"The risk is that they've declined but the results indicate our speeds look really good – we've had guys run personal bests in the 2km time trial.

"The cost of doing business can sometimes be detrimental to physical development but I think it's shown these guys have been able to continue their work in and around games and has allowed them to maintain their physical qualities.

"It allows us to make sure we're targeting our attention in April to areas that are really important to each of the guys."

Australia's 15-man World Cup squad must be named by April 23, and the players will gather in Brisbane at the Bupa National Cricket Centre in the first week of May for a training camp that will include a series of one-day practice matches against the Black Caps.

That camp will also mark the full reintegration of Smith and Warner into the Australian squad.

Qantas Tour of the UAE

First ODI: v Pakistan, March 22 in Sharjah

Second ODI: v Pakistan, March 24 in Sharjah

Third ODI: v Pakistan, March 27 in Abu Dhabi

Fourth ODI: v Pakistan, March 29 in Dubai

Fifth ODI: v Pakistan, March 31 in Dubai