da imperador bet： England could be tempted to go into their make-or-break final Test atLahore with a four-prong seam attack
Andrew Miller25-Nov-2005
James Anderson could return for the third Test © Getty Images
England could be tempted to go into their make-or-break final Test atLahore with a four-prong seam attack, as they attempt to draw levelagainst Pakistan and salvage their proud record of not having lost aseries since the tour of Sri Lanka two years ago.Speaking to the press upon the team’s return to Lahore, Duncan Fletcher,the England coach, admitted that the make-up of the team would come under somescrutiny in the days leading up to the match.”Our attitude is that we go out to win every Test match, and we’ll begoing out to win the last one,” said Fletcher. “The make-up of the sidewill be decided this week, and it will be the best side to win the game.”England’s strategy for the first two games relied heavily upon theirtwo spinners, Ashley Giles and Shaun Udal. But the pair have managed justfive wickets between them in 131 overs, and Giles has been visiblyhampered by a hip condition that could force him to miss the one-dayseries that starts at the end of the month.”It’s a big decision to make but one that’s definitely worth considering,”admitted Fletcher. “I don’t think anyone could have looked at that wicket[at Faisalabad] and thought the side didn’t need two spinners. EvenPakistan went in with two and they should know better than us. It wasmisleading but we’ve got to be careful, in case we do find one that couldturn.”Though Giles has fallen far short of the form that earned him 17 wicketson his last tour of Pakistan, Fletcher confirmed that – fitness pending -he would be the man most likely to keep his place in the event of a fourthseamer. “We have to look at individuals and their experience and whatthey’ve done before for us,” he said. “Ashley could be the best option.”By that same token, the reserve seamer with the most experience under hisbelt is James Anderson, who has been waiting in the wings for the pastthree winters, even since bursting onto the scene in Australia in 2002-03.Anderson’s last Test outing, however, was an unmitigated disaster – he wasthrust into the Johannesburg Test last January having been sat on thesidelines for too long, and was treated with disdain by the opposition.Fletcher was mindful of his lack of match practice, but believed he wasn’tfar short of his best form. “He’s getting back to where he is [sic]” saidFletcher. “We won’t know until he plays in the games, but when Troy Cooley[England’s bowling coach] left, he felt pretty comfortable he was gettinghis pace and lines back. We’ll just have to wait and see until he gets outto the middle.”
Perhaps Andrew Strauss’s mind, and hands, were on other matters when he spilled this simple chance at Faisalabad © AFP
England have a dilemma at the top of the order as well, with AndrewStrauss having flown home to attend the birth of his first child.Strauss’s form has slipped away in this series – he has managed just 44runs in four innings – but Fletcher admitted his absence would be trickyto cover for.The three main contenders are Michael Vaughan, whose partnership withMarcus Trescothick was broken up in May 2004 to accommodate Strauss; IanBell, whose technique and temperament are reminiscent of Michael Atherton,and the Essex youngster, Alastair Cook.”We’ve yet to make a final decision, but we’ve got a few options,” hesaid. “There’s no point rushing in now and regretting it when we’ve got acouple of days before the Test begins. All could change before then.”Cook is the outsider at this stage,” he added. “We want guys who’veplayed on these wickets and appreciate what these conditions are like. Buthe is very very impressive, as are all the youngsters who’ve come outhere. Their attitude has been top-draw and it looks as though they want togo a long way.”Though Strauss has not been at his best – and his dropped catch in thedeep off Inzamam yesterday was a sure sign that his mind has,understandably, been elsewhere – Fletcher gave a guarded assurance that hewould reclaim his place for the India Tests, regardless of the success orfailure of the makeshift Lahore line-up.”There’s a very good chance he will, because Andrew Strauss has done veryvery well for England,” said Fletcher. “He’s a nuggetty little characterwho’s scored a lot of runs and played some good innings for us, and helooked in the best shape in the nets in Islamabad.”Fletcher admitted that the end of England’s run of six consecutive serieswins was a disappointment, but added that the team’s objectives hadswiftly changed. “We set our goals at the beginning of tour and we wantedto win seven in a row,” he said. “But now we’ve got to make sure we go outthere and remain unbeaten in this series. We’re thinking on our feet aboutthis Test, and want to go in with the right frame of mind.”