Hussey looks to fill void left by absent Symonds

By Richard Sydenham

NOTTINGHAM, England (Reuters) - Australia all-rounder David Hussey hopes to fill the void in the middle order opened by the premature departure of Andrew Symonds who was sent home last week for disciplinary reasons.

The Australians, beaten by the West Indies at the Oval on Saturday, need to beat Sri Lanka at Trent Bridge on Monday (1630GMT) to stay in the Twenty20 World Cup.

"(We have moved on) pretty much, we had a team meeting after that all happened and we put a line in the sand," Hussey told reporters on Sunday.

"Ricky said 'no more discussion, it's done, prepare well and make sure you go out there to win the tournament'."

Hussey, who is not in the squad for the Ashes series, said Symonds's absence had created an opportunity for other team members.

"For me, personally, this tournament is a great opportunity to shine. I have played a lot of Twenty20 cricket and with Andrew not being there, I guess it gives other people opportunities to play in the middle order," he said.

"The whole squad is full of talent and anybody can do that job. All the boys are looking forward to shining."

Hussey rejected suggestions that Australia were more focused on the Ashes series that starts on July 8 than the World Cup.