England waste good start in warm-up with Australia

KINGSTOWN, St Vincent, Mar 9 (Reuters) Shaun Tait handed Australia a chance to snap their losing run against England after he grabbed four wickets to dismiss Michael Vaughan's men for 197 in a World Cup warm-up today.

Vaughan and Ian Bell struck fifties to share a second-wicket stand of 116 but their efforts, which will not count as it is a 13-player game, were undone.

Paul Collingwood and Andrew Flintoff failed to score quickly and then gave away their wickets with rash shots.

England, who were 122 for one midway through the innings, batted after winning the toss.

Opener Ed Joyce nearly nicked Nathan Bracken's first ball of the day before paceman Tait was clipped for four, bowled a wide and then trapped Joyce lbw for five with a full-length inswinger in the second over.

Captain Vaughan and Bell steadied the innings with some excellent boundaries, especially through the legside off the wayward Mitchell Johnson, one of eight Australian bowlers used.

Bell made an elegant 56 before coming down the pitch to Brad Hogg and being stumped by Adam Gilchrist, who was making his first appearance of the trip after arriving late following the birth of his child.

Vaughan, regaining full fitness after knee and hamstring problems, showed no signs of injury in his 62 from 73 balls and looked in good form until he sent a loose cut straight to Shane Watson off impressive left-arm chinaman Hogg, who finished with two for 28. Tait took four for 33.

England, who again omitted Andrew Strauss and Ravi Bopara from their 13, crushed Bermuda in their first warm-up on Monday having beaten Australia three times on the bounce in the recent tri-series there, including a 2-0 win in the finals.

Ricky Ponting's men went on to lose 3-0 in New Zealand in the Chappell-Hadlee series but easily overcame Zimbabwe by 106 runs in their first warm-up on Tuesday.

The world champions, who have lost their number one ranking to South Africa, are in Group A with Graeme Smith's team, the Netherlands and Scotland. England face New Zealand in their Group C opener on March 16 and then play Canada and Kenya.

REUTERS PDM KN2333