Wednesday, March 27, 2002 I am pleased to see that England have stuck by Matthew Hoggard and he is now beginning to show what he is capable of at international level. You cannot make a fast bowler in a day - it takes months, even years, for them to mature. Playing in New Zealand helps, because the conditions are so similar to England.

One important difference is drop-in pitches. They become easier as the match goes on, and the second innings is a pleasant surprise for the batsmen. We played on them on our tour of New Zealand last year, and found that the wicket changed dramatically after the first day and became a batsman's paradise. I suspect the reason is that drop-in pitches are not able to retain moisture in the same way that natural pitches do.

As a result, the first innings becomes crucial. How you perform in that innings is the key because that is when the ball will move around, unless you have bowlers who have mastered reverse swing. That is why we won in Auckland last year. The pitch got drier and as the ball got older, it began to reverse.

England, without Darren Gough, do not have the same capability. In that case the best option for them is to play two spinners on a portable pitch. That is where England missed a trick in the second Test. With only four days to play, they should have chosen two spinners to back up Hoggard and Andrew Caddick. But it will have been a good experience for England, and when they are in the same situation again they will have a better idea what to do — you would hope. Test cricket is a learning experience, each day and each match.

An important lesson I learned during my Test career was that the wicketkeeper is the most important player on the field. He might conceivably be collecting the ball on all five days, and if he makes mistakes and drops catches you are in trouble. James Foster is young and inexperienced and he will continue learning but, if I were part of the England set-up, I would not be satisfied with his ability at the top level. I have always associated English keepers with skilful glovework, but Foster's technique looks wrong to me. His fingers point downwards when he takes the ball instead of pointing more towards the stumps. He doesn't look a natural.

Instinctive cricketers are a real asset, and Ben Hollioake could have played a major part in England's future. He was a good, up-and-coming prospect, and a wonderfully clean hitter. It is a tragedy that he has died so young with the best still to come. My thoughts are with his family.

Javed Miandad, Pakistan's most prolific batsman and later their coach, was talking to Kamran Abbasi. His column appears every Wednesday.

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