England wince from Trescothick blow

The Ashes tour: Damaged shoulder prompts a brave face, but worry lines are already forming on a problematic tour

Marcus Trescothick tried to put on a brave face yesterday but he could not hide the concern and disappointment of joining the tourists' ever-growing casualty list. England's leading batsman aggravated an injury to his right shoulder – which has been giving him trouble on and off since the end of the season – during the mid-week warm-up game against Western Australia.

Previously it had troubled him only while bowling and fielding, but on Thursday he felt it during his innings of 46. He was sent for a scan, and then was given a steroid injection. "The injury is a concern but I will be fit for selection for Monday's game," Trescothick said. "My shoulder felt sore after the injection but it feels pretty good now. The odd shot hurt while I was batting, but only when I lost my shape."

With his opening partner, Michael Vaughan, already struggling to be fit for the First Test in Brisbane – which starts in just 11 days' time – the loss of the talismanic Trescothick would be a hammer blow to Nasser Hussain's side as they begin the daunting task of trying to win back the Ashes.

It would be the icing on a bitter cake for the tourists, who have had a dreadful first week to the three-month tour. With the injuries to Darren Gough, Andrew Flintoff and Vaughan all healing more slowly than expected, a defeat in the tour opener at Lilac Hill, and an indifferent performance in their two-day game against WA, the omens are not good. If the wheels have not fallen off it is hard to see what is keeping them on and the RAC, in the form of Craig White, have already been called for.

It was not, of course, meant to be like this. The plan was that those with injuries would be fit and raring to go by now and that those without would be piling up runs or bowling out the mostly unknown figures that have been put before them.

It hasn't happened. Indeed, it never does in Australia, because most of their cricketers are far better than we give them credit for. This is why it is the toughest of all tours. There are no easy games.

England, though, have contributed to their own problems. It may sound trivial, but impressing the locals early is vital when touring here. They are there at the airport waiting for the plane to land, sharpening their knives and looking for any opportunity to show their disregard for the quality of sportsmen or women we produce.

And by sending a squad to Australia which contained five players still fighting to prove their fitness, England supplied their critics with not just a grindstone but a whole set of new blades.

Even with the best will in the world – and the hard work of a physiotherapist – injuries tend to take longer than expected to overcome. So, whatever the advice that England received, there was always a chance that a couple of the five would be struggling for Brisbane. The fact that it is three of the most valuable players makes the whole issue even more disconcerting.

It is difficult to have too much sympathy because most of the wounds have been self-inflicted. Tomorrow is important, but if you spend too long looking no further than the next game, which England did too often last summer, sooner or later that lack of foresight will slap you around the face. It goes without saying that Gough should not have rushed back to play in the NatWest Series, and that Flintoff should not have played with his double hernia in the Third Test against India. But they did, and England are now paying the consequences.

There is still time to stop the damage becoming terminal but it is running out. Gough, Flintoff and Vaughan all need to play against Queensland later this week if they are to be in contention for the Test. But getting through three days' cricket in a row and convincing selectors who are desperate for you to play is the easy part.

The hardest person to win over is yourself. No matter what words of encouragement come from those in charge, the nagging doubts over whether you are fit or well prepared enough will remain with you while playing in the game. And walking out on to the field wondering whether you are up to it only increases the gradient of the hill you have to climb.

This is what the Australians want, and their preparation starts by selecting brilliant sides during the early stages of a tour. Lilac Hill has this image of being a gentle opening match with a festive atmosphere. This may be the case for the crowd, but for the players it is far from jolly. It is a game where you are immediately put under pressure.

The side you play against contains four or five high-quality players capable of winning the match on their own. They are backed up by four or five good players that nobody has heard of. The touch of genius is the recruitment ofa couple of old legends. This gives an easy way out if the tourists win. But if they don't – and England are not the first to come a cropper in this fixture – the headlines are there: "Tourists beaten by a couple of 50-year-olds".

It gets no easier against weakened state sides. The structure and strength of cricket in Australia means that even though Callum Thorp, who took four wickets for Western Australia during last week's two-day match against Hussain's side, is a part-time window cleaner, he is also a good cricketer who would probably be contracted to a county in England.

In a way it would be easier to play against first-class sides from the word go. But indifferent performances have meant that the pressure is now firmly on as England start taking on the big guns. Justin Langer captains a strong WA side against England this week and promises that his side will make life as hard as they can for the tourists.

"We will be doing everything we can in this game to make sure England do not get any momentum or confidence going into the First Test," he said. "The whole summer for us is about winning the Ashes and we want to beat them 5-0."

The life of the English cricketer abroad is not about to get any easier.