Abbott helped Australia overcome its sternest test of the tournament so far to post its third win in three matches, netting a rebound with 10 minutes remaining.

The Kookaburras now hold a three-point advantage at the top of the tournament table with two games remaining.

The top two teams at the end of the round-robin stage advance to Sunday's final.

But Australia had to reach into its bag of tricks to move past an England side which threatened to deny a Kookaburras team that applied relentless second-half pressure.

England, which has not yet won a match in the tournament, took a surprise early lead when striker Iain Mackay found space inside the shooting circle, turned and shot truly on 13 minutes.

Australia levelled things up eight minutes later when striker Grant Schubert grabbed his fourth goal in three tournament matches.

With rising star Ashley Jackson outstanding in midfield and goalkeeper James Fair producing several great saves, England spent most of the second half frustrating the Kookaburras.

Australia had a second-half Glenn Turner goal disallowed by the video umpire for using the back of the stick to add to the tension, before Abbott struck to make the game safe.

Australian skipper Mark Knowles felt his side's win was a triumph for persistence.

''We know we've got the quality, it's about continuing on,'' Knowles said.

''We slugged it out and got that goal we needed.

''They [England] have shown themselves to be a good defensive unit plus a good attacking side. It was tough, and we're happy we got the win today.''

The Kookaburras lost experienced midfielder Rob Hammond late in the game with what appeared a hamstring injury, which could put him in doubt for the rest of the week.

Australia's next match is against Germany tomorrow night a match likely to decide one of Sunday's grand finalists.

Germany climbed to second place on the table after winning a classic against Spain 5-4 its last-minute winner to Matthias Witthaus awarded by the sport's new video umpire system.

South Korea stunned the Netherlands 2-1 in yesterday's other match to join Germany on six points and also remain in contention to make Sunday's final. AAP