Hussain warning as injury-hit England make dreadful start

Nasser Hussain has warned England's numerous injured players that the time is fast approaching when decisions have to be made about their fitness after a side missing several key players slumped to a comprehensive defeat in the opening match of the Ashes tour yesterday.

Hussain was denied the services of Andrew Flintoff and Michael Vaughan, who are both recovering from recent operations, and the long-term absentee Darren Gough for their 58-run defeat against an ACB Chairman's XI at Lilac Hill – the first time they have lost the fixture in four previous meetings.

Hussain also had to nurse Simon Jones through his first full match since straining his side on his Test debut against India at Lord's last July while Steve Harmison suffered concussion from an early stage of the match, leaving him with precious few bowling options and growing frustration at the disruption to England's preparations.

"People have to get out there and play – that's why they are on this tour," Hussain stressed. "The only exception is Darren Gough because he's had a long-term injury and he's got to be handled with real care because he's a real asset to us, but even he will have to get out there now and play.

"That's what everybody's here for, all the batters and all the bowlers, and sooner or later they're going to have to get out there and either be fit to play for England or not fit to play for England – there's no hiding place on an Ashes tour."

That was certainly underlined to his young team during a fixture which may have had the look of a festival-type match yet perhaps surprised the tourists by the intensity of the cricket in their opening game.

The Chairman's XI plundered 301 for 7, the highest score in this fixture's history, Kade Harvey being particularly severe to England's attack with a brilliant 114 off only 88 deliveries including six sixes and 10 other boundaries.

England's cause was not helped by Harmison, one of England's great hopes to unsettle Australia during the coming Test series with raw pace, suffering concussion while diving to stop a ball on the boundary in the third over.

Harmison withdrew from the action briefly, but returned to inform his captain he was ready to bowl, only for the dizziness he was suffering to have an embarrassing effect on his bowling. He delivered 16 wides in his seven overs, including eight in one 14-ball over and seven of them in succession.

With Matthew Hoggard and Andrew Caddick also struggling for rhythm at this early stage, England were unable to restrict the strokeplay of Harvey during a 152-run partnership with his captain, Mike Hussey, which spanned only 21 overs and helped the Chairman's XI to recover from a potentially perilous 122 for 5.

The lengthy injury list also affected England's reply, although losing both Marcus Trescothick and Mark Butcher inside the first three overs did not help. Hussain and Robert Key rebuilt the innings and both reached aggressive half-centuries during a 135-run partnership in only 21 overs before. But both fell within four overs of each other.

What England would have given then for Vaughan's composure and technique or even Flintoff's powerful strokeplay to guide them towards the major total and get their Ashes tour off to a flying start. Instead, they were dismissed for 243 with their last five wickets falling for 33 runs.

"England shouldn't lose any game in any circumstances to a non-international side," Hussain said. "It is very difficult out there when you don't know which bowler's fit and there are people coming on and off and the Harmison situation didn't help.

"We were down to the wire anyway with our bowling attack and as a captain or coach it becomes very difficult when you don't have an organised five or six bowlers that you can call upon that are 100 per cent fit."

He added: "The annoying thing is that we still don't know who the fit cricketers are to play against Australia in two weeks' time and, as captain, that's starting to bug me a little bit.

"I'm sounding a bit negative, but we still have a little while and the medical advice is that they're all injuries that should heal up just like that. We need to be playing at full strength to beat Australia and we need to get to that situation quickly."

PERTH SCOREBOARD

ACB CHAIRMAN'S XI
C J L Rogers c Crawley b Jones 30
M J North c Hussain b Hoggard 22
M E K Hussey c Hussain b Jones 69
R J Campbell c Crawley b Giles 14
G B Hogg b Giles 0
D W Hookes c Key b Giles 10
K M Harvey c Trescothick b Caddick 114
M J Nicholson not out 13
C D Thorp not out 0
Extras (b1 lb4 w24 pens 0) 29
Total (for 7, 50 overs) 301

Fall: 1-57, 2-69, 3-100, 4-100, 5-126, 6-274, 7-299.

Did not bat: M W Clark, W M Clark.

Bowling: Hoggard 10-0-51-1; Caddick 10-0-59-1; Harmison 7-0-42-0; Jones 8-1-53-2; Giles 10-1-56-3; Dawson 5-0-35-0.

ENGLAND
M E Trescothick c Hogg b M W Clark 3
R W T Key c North b Wilson 68
M A Butcher c Harvey b M W Clark 0
N Hussain b Wilson 65
J P Crawley c & b Hogg 26
A J Stewart c Harvey b Hogg 35
J S Foster c & b Thorp 15
A F Giles b Hogg 1
S P Jones c sub b Hogg 1
R K J Dawson not out 13
A R Caddick c Hussey b Hogg 4
Extras (lb4 w8 pens 0) 12
Total (48.5 overs) 243

Fall: 1-1,1 2-11, 3-146, 4-156, 5-182, 6-210, 7-215, 8-217, 9-236.

Did not bat: S J Harmison.

Bowling: M W Clark 10-0-53-2; W M Clark 5-0-45-0; Nicholson 7-1-26-0; Thorp 6-1-28-1; Wilson 5-0-17-2; Harvey 7-0-37-0; Hogg 8.5-0-33-5.

Umpires: B Bennett and A Craig.