Close Western Australia 213 and 16 for 1 (Hussey 14*, Rogers 1*) trail England 327 (Hussain 117) by 98 runs
Scorecard

Nasser Hussain flexed his muscles with a morale-boosting hundred on the second day of England's tour match against Western Australia at Perth, but an unnerving collapse after tea took some the gloss off another improved performance. England, cruising at one stage on 288 for 4, contrived to lose their last six wickets for 39, five of them to Matthew Nicholson who reminded the Australian selectors of his Test credentials. But England had the last word as Andrew Caddick nipped in to remove Scott Meuleman in his second over, plumb lbw for 1 (9 for 1).

Until that late tumble of wickets, it had been very much England's day. Although Rob Key failed to add to his overnight 33 - there was some doubt as to whether his leading edge off Brad Williams had carried to Nicholson in the gully - each of England's top-order batsmen made a start against a Test-class attack with plenty to prove. Only Hussain, however, was able to go on to a big score.

Trescothick looked his aggressive self once again after a subdued knock on the first evening. He added 39 with Mark Butcher (29) before flashing a wide delivery from Nicholson to Michael Hussey at second slip for 46 (94 for 2), and Butcher himself fell padding up to Jo Angel shortly before lunch (154 for 3). But John Crawley and Hussain took England into the lead in the afternoon session with a spirited stand of 79. Crawley looked set for a decent score when he was comprehensively bowled by Stuart Karppinen for 45 (232 for 4).

With the opening Test of the Ashes series only nine days away, Hussain found fine touch at the right time. He reached his 48th first-class century on the stroke of tea, with sweet shots all round the wicket. He cracked 21 fours in all, and as at Headingley last summer, his innings bristled with defiance and barely-concealed rage at England's shortcomings so far on the tour. But, when he became the second of Nicholson's six wickets, caught by Ryan Campbell for 117 (312 for 6), the innings folded all too readily.

Ashley Giles was trapped in front by Nicholson's very next ball, and one over later Craig White was gone as well, bowled for 7 (313 for 8). Simon Jones and Steve Harmison cracked a boundary apiece, but they were no match for a fired-up Nicholson, who truncated England's tail with five wickets in four consecutive overs to finish with 6 for 79. Glenn McGrath will have been pawing the ground in delight.

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