England draw tour opener

AFP,  PERTH: England pace spearhead James Anderson claimed four wickets as England's opening Ashes tour match ended in a draw against a youthful Western Australia XI in Perth on Sunday.

Anderson finished with four for 27 as the second-string WA side reached 342 in reply to the tourists' 349 for six declared in the two-day warm-up game.

England's all-time leading Test wicket-taker was driven a few times in his first spell of the tour and went for 18 in his five overs, but he tightened things up in his second and third bowling spells.

“You could probably see from the first session that we were pretty rusty as bowlers,” Anderson told reporters.

“We didn't get it right. The point (of this warm-up match) is to try to get into the tour.

“We've got two first-class games coming up that we want to be fit for and get the cobwebs out.”

England's bowlers initially struggled to make breakthroughs, with opening batsmen Jake Carder (22) and Josh Philippe (88) putting on 80 for the first wicket.

It was paceman Craig Overton who had Carder caught in the deep.

Philippe, 20, looked set for a century, stroking 16 boundaries in his 92-ball innings before he was stumped advancing to off-spinner Mason Crane in the over after lunch.

 

England draw tour opener

AFP, PERTH: England pace spearhead James Anderson claimed four wickets as Englands opening Ashes tour match ended in a draw against a youthful Western Australia XI in Perth on Sunday. Anderson finished with four for 27 as the second-string WA side reached 342 in reply to the tourists 349 for six declared in the two-day warm-up game. Englands all-time leading Test wicket-taker was driven a few times in his first spell of the tour and went for 18 in his five overs, but he tightened things up in his second and third bowling spells. You could probably see from the first session that we were pretty rusty as bowlers, Anderson told reporters. We didnt get it right. The point (of this warm-up match) is to try to get into the tour. Weve got two first-class games coming up that we want to be fit for and get the cobwebs out. Englands bowlers initially struggled to make breakthroughs, with opening batsmen Jake Carder (22) and Josh Philippe (88) putting on 80 for the first wicket. It was paceman Craig Overton who had Carder caught in the deep. Philippe, 20, looked set for a century, stroking 16 boundaries in his 92-ball innings before he was stumped advancing to off-spinner Mason Crane in the over after lunch.