Lillee blames England's preparation

Australia's legendary fast bowler, Dennis Lillee, has criticised England's administrators and believes that a lack of preparation has undermined what ought to have been another close-run Ashes contest.

"I thought if England had been fully fit and had good preparation, there would have been a fight all the way through," said Lillee, who is currently the president of the Western Australian Cricket Association. "But they've had bad preparation. I think that going back to England and not coming straight here and getting another few days' practice was bordering on stupid. I certainly don't think that will ever happen again."

Lillee did concede that England had had several set-backs in the build-up to the series, but added that they had compounded their problems with some unwise selection in the first two Tests. "I think they've had a horror run of injuries, plus you throw in Trescothick," said Lillee. "But I'm not sure the selection has been right. I think they've had a few problems and they are not that well prepared for the series."

Even so, Lillee felt that there was still time for England to make amends, at least for one more match. "England has to win this one otherwise it's a dead series, and Australia will be going all out to try to make sure they seal it in this game," he said. "It's going to be a ripper of a game."

Lillee, 57, is himself preparing for a rare appearance on the cricket field. Tomorrow night at the WACA he lines up alongside fellow England and Australian veterans including Dean Jones, Greg Matthews, Angus Fraser and Devon Malcolm for a floodlit Twenty20 fixture.

Ian Botham is also down to make an appearance, although given that he is currently unwinding in Western Australia's wine regions, Lillee wasn't certain if his old rival would turn out for the fixture. "We'll be going at it early with a bottle of red," he joked. "I've thrown the challenge out to Beefy. I'll throw a few balls at him if he'll stand still at the other end so that I can line him up. We'll see how he fronts up after the Barossa Valley."