Wednesday, August 22, 2001
With the pressure of winning the series gone, England showed their true ability. It was a memorable performance from Mark Butcher - he played the bowling not the bowlers. And Nasser Hussain showed why he is such a vital player even if he isn't scoring hundreds.

England have been criticised for blaming their defeats on injuries but I have a lot of sympathy for them. It is not possible to replace players like Graham Thorpe or Nasser. Pakistan look vulnerable without Inzamam, and even Australia don't look the same team when Steve Waugh isn't playing.

But England should not get carried away. Their bowling at Leeds was poor and they gave the Aussies too many short balls. The whole world knows about Headingley. If you pitch the ball up and get your line right, the wicket will do the rest. Accuracy is crucial. Doubly so against this Australian side, which is packed with strokeplayers. England should frustrate them and make them struggle for runs at The Oval, the best wicket in England. Whenever I played there it helped both bowlers and batsmen and the ball came onto the bat, which will suit Australia's shotmakers.

I hope it suits Michael Atherton as well. He is a quality player but his form surprises me. For a player who is well known for his positive mental approach, Atherton seems to have no confidence. He looks under pressure, as if he thinks he will get out any moment. He has plenty of strokes and he should take the attack to Australia. You have to be positive - in attack and in defence. You should believe that the bowler is ordinary and set your mind to dominate him. You can get an unplayable ball at any time in England, so while you're in, make the most of it.

But what really baffles me about English cricket is the selection policy. The squad for the Oval doesn't include any genuine allrounders, and England have the ideal man. Craig White impressed me during the winter tours to Pakistan and Sri Lanka. He is a match-winning allrounder, the type of player who should be an automatic selection. England made a mistake dropping him for the fourth Test.

Look at Ricky Ponting, he didn't perform for the first three Tests but Australia kept him in and he showed his ability. Australia have high-class reserves to take over when a player loses form and still they stuck with Ponting. England have no real replacement for White but they're happy to dent his confidence. That's the difference between long-term success and short-lived glory.

The captain has a role too. When a bowler is struggling for wickets, the captain should let him have a go at the tail to build his confidence - it doesn't matter who you get out, it's success that counts.

You have to identify your best players and invest in them, especially the ones that can produce results at the top level like White did last winter. His talent is vital to the balance of England's team. He should be nurtured not ignored.

Javed Miandad, Pakistan's fomer coach and most successful batsman, was talking to Kamran Abbasi.

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