As Andrew Symonds was given a mohawk, the usual suspects huddled around a makeshift card table, Nathan Bracken nursed his cut finger, the television was tuned to the rugby, and Damien Fleming cursed his rotten luck.

Australia's tri-series match against Pakistan at the Riverside Ground today was abandoned by rain at 1.55pm without a ball bowled, robbing Fleming of an opportunity to nudge Brett Lee out of the side for the final at Lord's on Saturday.

Fans streamed through the gates all morning, excited by their one and only international fixture of the season, but the umbrellas in their hands, frowns on their faces and glances to the miserable, dark sky told the story.

Chester-Le-Street dates back hundreds of years and the old buildings and lush surrounding paddocks are a sight to behold - but another impressive spectacle, the Australian one-day cricket team, remained hidden from view.

Behind closed doors, Lee gave Symonds a mohawk with an electric shaver while leaving his own blond locks alone.

Nearby Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Ricky Ponting, Ian Harvey and team manager Steve Bernard played cards, and Bracken cut the top of his left index finger on a door. Bracken needed three stitches but he was out of action for another week anyway with his shoulder injury.

But nobody was more frustrated by the inactivity than Fleming, who now has just two games - against Pakistan at Nottingham on Tuesday and England at The Oval on Thursday - to prove he is a better option than fast but invariably expensive Lee.

Australia is already guaranteed a place in the final against Pakistan next Saturday.

"I was hoping to play all the rest of the games before the final, and that gave me three games, but now it's two," said Fleming, sidelined for the last week by a groin strain.

"We generally pick our best team for the finals and most of the other guys have bowled well, so each game was an opportunity to hopefully bowl well and get into the final.

"It's not ideal.

"I've just got to have two big games."

The Victorian seamer, who had a gymnasium session at noon with the rest of the squad when they finished watching coverage of the Lions-Queensland rugby match, would kill for a spell to rival Jason Gillespie's awesome 3-20 at Old Trafford.

"Dizz (Gillespie) came in for his first game from his groin injury and got man of the match - it's just about taking the opportunity like he did the other night," said Fleming, who is in contention after Lee conceded a total 140 runs in his two ten-over appearances.

"If you have a booming game, you're right back in there ... but you don't want to put too much pressure on yourself.

"It'd just be good to get out there, have a go, and do well.

"That's all I can aim for really."

Fleming lamented the tight tour schedule which has Australia switching to Test mode straight after the Lord's final and travelling to Arundel the next day for a fixture against an MCC XI, starting Tuesday.

"If you're going to place a lot of importance on the one-day game, you want to win that and celebrate like it's a Test I reckon, and have the next day off," he said.

The Australians leave for Nottingham tomorrow.

© 2001 AAP