England has fought back well in its two-day tour match against Western Australia at the WACA Ground, reducing the Warriors to 309-8 at stumps after the home side gained the early ascendancy.
The Warriors were cruising at 119-1 at one point before the tourists showed some fight and hit back hard after the opening session, with Luke Pomersbach steering the home side out of trouble with 90 not out after it had lost 5-93 after lunch.
Chris Rogers (66) and Shaun Marsh (59) had struck half-centuries to set up the innings earlier in the day but James Anderson took 3-47 from 23 overs to be the pick of the bowlers, while Sajid Mahmood (2-61) recovered after an expensive start.
Monty Panesar (1-69) received plenty of turn from the WACA wicket but failed to translate that into wickets, although he did show he has some ability in the field with a terrific run-out.
David Bandy (five) was the first batsman to fall in the day when he pushed at a seaming Anderson delivery and tickled an edge to keeper Chris Read, who easily claimed the catch to leave WA at 17-1.
It should have been 17-2 when Rogers, who was on 12 at the time, edged Harmison straight to Ashley Giles at second slip, but the spinner could not hold on to the easy catch.
The missed opportunity proved costly, with the classy left-hander notching his half-century in the 27th over of the day.
The Warriors went to lunch in control at 95-1, but Anderson snared the vital breakthrough after the break when Rogers edged the paceman through to Read, ending the 102-run second-wicket stand.
Read then pulled off a fantastic left-handed catch to remove Marsh, giving Mahmood his first wicket of the match and reducing WA to 140-3, and Mahmood struck again shortly after when Marcus North (18) edged a simple catch to Ed Joyce at second slip.
When Test aspirant Adam Voges was trapped in front by Harmison for 31 and Panesar claimed Luke Ronchi for three, the Warriors had stumbled to 212-6.
Pomersbach combined with Aaron Heal for a 55-run partnership to steady the ship, before Panesar ran out Heal with a direct hit from mid-wicket as the pair attempted a quick single.
Brett Dorey (two) didn't hang around for long, with the task of guiding the total past 300 left to Pomersbach and Tim Macdonald (three not out).
