PERTH, Oct 27: England’s shell-shocked batsmen face their toughest ordeal of the tour so far in the three-day match against Western Australia starting at the WACA Ground here Monday.

A line-up which has failed against second-string attacks in the tourists’ opening two games will need to display much more steel to succeed against the state side’s fiery pace trio of Brad Williams, Matt Nicholson and Jo Angel.

Williams and Nicholson are both contenders for Test honors, while the towering Angel — who has appeared in four Tests — has always revelled in the bouncy Perth conditions.

“We’ll give them the biggest test we can,” state captain Justin Langer said Sunday.

Langer, the Test opening batsman, is keen to keep the pressure on the Englishmen as they prepare for the opening Test of the Ashes campaign.

England are aiming to end a sequence of seven Ashes series defeats, but have begun their tour woefully, with a one-day loss to an Australian Cricket Board Chairman’s X1 and a morale-sapping draw against Western Australia.

“Williams is a very exciting player,” Langer said. “He was easily the pick of the Australian A players in South Africa recently and then was called up for the Australian squad for the Tests against Pakistan, though he did not play.”

“I am also a huge fan of Nicholson. I believe he could be an outstanding all-rounder.

“And Angel just keeps coming. His record is second to nothing at the WACA.”

The State’s pace attack will be completed by Stuart Karppinen, who snapped up five wickets when the South Africans toured a year ago.

It is a measure of the state’s bowling strength that there is no room in the side for swing bowler Callum Thorp, the window cleaner from Wanneroo, just north of Perth, who destroyed the England batting three days ago.

His burst of 4-58 included the scalps of Robert Key, Mark Butcher and skipper Nasser Hussain.

Test players Adam Gilchrist and Damien Martyn have been rested from the Western Australian side.

Because of their crop of injuries, England have delayed naming their side.

The line-up seems almost certain to include all-rounder Craig White, who has joined the squad from Adelaide, South Australia, where he had been playing club cricket.

White was called up after all-rounder Andrew Flintoff flew to Adelaide for intensive treatment aimed at having him fit for the first Test. He is recovering from a hernia operation.

Opening batsman Marcus Trescothick was hopeful of being available for selection, despite being bothered by a right shoulder injury which especialy restricts him in the field.—AFP