‘It’s not the end of the world’

England's 58-run defeat by an Australian invitational team in their opening Ashes tour match was not the end of the world, captain Nasser Hu...

England’s 58-run defeat by an Australian invitational team in their opening Ashes tour match was not the end of the world, captain Nasser Hussain said.

Paceman Stephen Harmison delivered 16 wides, including seven in a row, as the Australian Cricket Board Chairman’s XI put England’s bowlers to the sword, racking up 301 for seven from 50 overs before dismissing the tourists for 243 on Tuesday. “It is not the end of the world losing to a President’s XI or whatever, but we do need to get our players fit,” Hussain said. “The one thing we must sort out and sort out quickly is who is fit and who is not fit on this tour.

“We still have a while and the medical advice is that the injuries should heal up.” England fast bowler Darren Gough, all-rounder Andrew Flintoff and opening batsman Michael Vaughan all missed the match because of injury.

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Hussain said he was not concerned by the performance of 23-year-old Harmison, who has played only one Test. The Durham quickie conceded 42 runs from seven overs without taking a wicket on Tuesday.

“The wide situation doesn’t bother me,” Hussain said.

“The only way it would worry me is that I don’t want our young bowler getting too downbeat because it is a harsh environment out there.”

England play Western Australia in Perth in a two-day match starting on Thursday. The first match of the five-Test Ashes series is in Brisbane starting on November 7. “Bring on England. That was the blunt message from the Australia Test team after the world champion yesterday completed a 3-0 series romp against a punch-drunk Pakistan,” Melbourne’s Herald Sun newspaper said on Wednesday, describing England’s bowling performance in Perth as “Shoddyline”.

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