October 11 Friday 2002
Fiery welcome for Hussain's men 

PERTH: England have been promised a fiery welcome to the start of their Ashes cricket tour of Australia. Batsman Ryan Campbell said his West Australian teammates understood they had a responsibility to get stuck into Nasser Hussain's tourists and dent their confidence ahead of the five-Test series with Australia. 

Campbell is likely to play in all three of England's tour-opening fixtures in Perth and relishes the chance of ruffling the tourists. England start their campaign against a Chairman's XI at Lilac Hill, near here, on October 22 before meeting Western Australia in separate two-day and three-day matches between October 24 and 30. 

Campbell, who made his Australian limited overs debut last summer, said he wouldn't be surprised if England were "towelled up again" by Australia. He said the West Australians were getting ready "to give the Poms a nice fiery welcome when they get to our shores". 

"Whoever we put out on the paddock, we are always going to do well at WA," Campbell said on Thursday. 

"And we know our responsibility is to give England as hard a time as possible and to hopefully knock around their confidence a bit and put them back in their place." 

They are boasting again that this is their best chance. "But I think once they get here and they see our conditions, and the Australian team is a fantastic cricket team, I wouldn't be surprised if they get towelled up again." The opening Ashes Test gets underway at Brisbane's Gabba ground on November 7.