October 24 Thursday 2002
England coach shrugs off defeat in opening game

PERTH, Australia: England coach Duncan Fletcher on Wednesday shrugged off his side's defeat by an Australian invitational side in their opening clash of the Ashes tour.

"We had only been here three or four days and we were not playing our one-day squad and it was our first workout," Fletcher said in the wake of Tuesday's 58-run defeat. He also made light of fast bowler Steve Harmison's wayward performance, in which he sent down 16 wides, eight in one over, during a seven-over stint. "He took a bit of a beating, but he is not even in our one-day bowling squad, and this was a one-day game," Fletcher said. "He pushed the batters on to the back foot a bit."

The Australian Cricket Board Chairman's XI captain, Michael Hussey, who will also lead the Western Australian side against England in a two-day match starting today, cautioned against writing off the tourists prematurely. "They had only just stepped off the plane, so I imagine they would be a little bit rusty, but Harmison got some very steep bounce and raw pace.

"If he can get it right, I know he was a bit wayward, he could cause some problems. Overall, I think England will have to be all fit and firing to test the Aussies, who are playing such great cricket.

"I think England can be competitive, but they've to be firing on all cylinders. There were some good signs for them. Nasser Hussain batted brilliantly and Robert Key played well, too."

The England team for the two-day game starting at the WACA Ground today will be chosen from: Nasser Hussain (capt), Marcus Trescothick, Mark Butcher, Robert Key, John Crawley, Alec Stewart, James Foster, Andrew Caddick, Matthew Hoggard, Simon Jones, Steve Harmison, Ashley Giles, Richard Dawson.

Western Australia: Michael Hussey (capt), Beau Casson, Michael Clark, Murray Goodwin, Kade Harvey, Shaun Marsh, Scott Meuleman, Marcus North, Chris Rogers, Luke Ronchi, Callum Thorp, Paul Wilson (12th man to be named).