England face into a long hot summer

This game was supposed to be a learning experience and confidence booster for the second Test. But, if England are to take any succour into Saturday's match against South Australia in Adelaide, their psychologist, Steve Bull, will have to dig mighty deep to find it.

England drew the game with something in hand but, had it been a boxing match, Western Australia would have won an unanimous and convincing points decision. Justin Langer declared at 268 for three shortly before lunch, leaving England 282 to win in a minimum of 69 overs.

It was a simple target, but England were hardly in with a shout, although John Crawley played enterprisingly at the start to make 65 and later Graham Thorpe batted through two-and-a-quarter hours to see them to safety with an unbeaten 64. Langer eventually pulled the plug with four overs remaining and England on 192 for four.

To describe England's overall performance as second-rate, however, bestows undue credit on it, and later Langer could scarcely conceal his scorn. "If they play like that," he said, "it will be a long hard summer."

The day began with Ryan Campbell taking his overnight 117 to 146, the second-highest ever made for Western Australia against England, scored at a run a ball.

He was finally caught at long-on off Robert Croft, his second wicket of the morning. In his first over, with a declaration already in mind and the second-wicket stand with Campbell worth 120, Langer heaved mightily and spiralled a catch to extra cover. Croft - a front-line bowler who is touring, remember, on the strength of a season that saw him finish 142nd out of 144 in the bowling averages - appeared pleased, and no wonder.

Since his three wickets in the second innings of the fourth Test in Guyana last winter he had bowled around a thousand deliveries for England and taken the single wicket of Floyd Reifer in a match against Barbados.

Fraser was just slaughtered. He, of all the bowlers, was likely to find the adjustment in length most difficult: on a true, bouncy pitch such as this his natural length is too short for the pace he bowls, but he then over-compensates.

The start to England's second innings was almost as dismal as it was to their first. Opening in Mark Butcher's absence, Dominic Cork demonstrated during his two-ball tenure that England will consider batting him at seven at their peril.

Crawley's bat, though, had a pleasing ring to it and, with Nasser Hussain also timing the ball nicely after his first-innings century, a successful chase remained on the cards.

But Hussain was suckered by a slower ball, giving a catch to cover point, and then, immediately after tea, as Matt Nicholson went round the wicket, Crawley made a mess of a pull and was caught at cover.

Had the luck gone Western Australia's way now they might well have won.