For the second Test at Headingley, the England manage- ment had talked of going flat out for a win - then ensured that they could not live up to their mission when they picked six batsmen, and only four bowlers.
The wealth of batting in the England squad meant that the Pakistan attack, comprising Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Mushtaq Ahmed, could not blow them away as in the first Test at Lord's instead, England took moral ascendancy by topping the mammoth Pak total of 449, and in fact going on to top the 500 mark.
The flip side of this was, of course, that the England team found itself unable, with just four seamers and not even the part-time spin of Test discard Graeme Hick for variety, unable to penetrate the Pakistan batting lineup. And to win matches, you have to bowl sides out, right?
Right - so the question for Illy and company is, how to do just that little thing.
One option - and Illy himself has made it clear that it is one he favours - is for the in-form Alec Stewart to be asked to do double duty, as both opener and wicket- keeper. This permits the selectors to drop Jack Russell, and to include a fifth bowler in the lineup.
Stewart, who immediately after his 170 against Pakistan in the second Test went on to underline his form with a century for Surrey in weekend county action, has indi- cated that while he would like to concentrate on opening, he will do whatever his nation requires of him - even if it means donning the gloves again.
Skipper Michael Atherton, for his part, indicated that ``It does not make sense to burden Stewart with the double task of batting and keeping.''
Atherton, however, is only one voice in a selection committee comprising five members, and indications are that Illy will carry the majority with him when the selectors assemble on Saturday to pick the side for the final Test.
Having created a slot for the fifth bowler, the England selectors will then have to decide who to pick - and given the nature of the wicket at the Oval, the thinking is that a spinner would be an asset. The choice, in that event, boils dwn to either Ian Salisbury, who sat out the second Test after proving totally ineffective in the first, or Glamorgan's Robert Croft.
There are other problems confronting the selectors - not least, the bad form of the temperamental Chris Lewis. After a brilliant performance on his comeback in the series against India earlier this year, Lewis is back to his wayward ways, turning in a disappointing performance at Headingley.
The selectors could consider the claims of Devon Malcolm for a recall - especially since Malcolm, the quickest bowler England has on call at the moment - has in the past been a matchwinner at the Oval.
Another name being given active consideration is that of Yorkshire paceman Darren Gough, who has the knack of imparting an almost Pakistan-like swing to the old ball and who has, this season, been very impressive on the county circuit, especially in the NatWest semifinal at Old Trafford last weekend. In fact, Gough was tipped to make the England team for the second Test, but failed to get the recall. This time round, the selectors are going to be hard-pressed to ignore his claims.
The batting, meanwhile, wears a settled look with Ather- ton and Stewart making for a reliable opening pair, Nasser Hussain playing his usual anchor role at number three, Graham Thorpe providing the impetus at four, John Craw- ley and Nick Knight bringing up numbers five and six respectively before the tail begins.
The question thus will be whether a bowling lineup comprising Dominic Cork, Allan Mullally, Darren Gough, Andrew Caddick and Ian Salisbury (or, surprise, surprise, Phil Tuffnell?) bundle Pakistan for a low enough score to give the home side a reasonable hope of pressing for a series-sharing win?
On paper, it looks good - but the catch, as cricketing think tanks not just in England but around the world have discovered in the past - is that cricket is never played on paper...