Post-Op Report
For those that don’t already know, I’ve just undergone a double hernia operation at a hospital here in Manchester.
My left groin has been giving me trouble since the end of last summer. At first we thought rest might prove a cure, but the pain didn’t improve and I was diagnosed with a double hernia.
I thought it wise to take care of the problem before the start of the county cricket season, so I went up to Manchester because the surgeon there (Ian MacLennan) is an expert in the field and has operated on many professional sportsmen.
Dr. MacLennan advised me that it’s common practice nowadays to operate on both sides with hernia surgery. I should be recovering for the next four to six weeks, but plan of being fit to play within that period. I'm anxious to get back into county cricket and look forward to [hopefully] opening the batting with Justin Langer for Somerset.
We have to be the cat and not the mouse
We simply have to win the last Test if we are to get anything positive out of this series. Beating Pakistan in the Gaddafi Stadium this week will not be easy and they have really been up for it since going 1-0 ahead. But a drawn series would by no means be a disaster given the inexperience of our side in these conditions.
I'm really looking forward to opening the innings for England with Michael Vaughan again - it'll be good fun. We did it for a while a few years ago and were pretty successful. The right-left combination should force Pakistan's opening bowlers to adjust their line, something they didn't have to do in the first two Tests.
I played in the Lahore Test five years ago and made 71 in the first innings. We drew the game, though my overriding memory is how slow both the pitch and outfield were. Although not many boundaries were scored, we've got bigger hitters like Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen in the side now so we've got the firepower not to get bogged down.
Some people will say we've got nothing to lose by taking extra risks, but we won't be changing our approach that much. I'll be trying to play as positively as I can but it's not easy to dominate games over here. There seems to be two or three days of cat and mouse before a big attacking move is made. That's the moment you've got to be ready for.
The pitches have been very slow but although staying in is not difficult, it's hard to dominate bowlers. In many ways the new ball offers more scoring options because it skids on to the bat, though with Shoaib Akhtar charging in and regularly clocking over 90mph, we've needed our wits about us.
There was a lot of talk about Shoaib's fitness but he's impressed me during the series. He's kept running in and has put in good spells at crucial times. He's mixed it up well, bowling yorkers and bouncers, as well as that outrageous slower ball that makes tail-enders freeze because they think it's a beamer. He's very effective in these conditions and stands out in their attack.
Visiting teams get so few chances to win over here, that I was disappointed we lost in Multan and not just because I was captain. Tests come round so quickly that you don't have time for regret, but when you get the opportunity over here you need to take it. We didn't do that, which has proved critical especially now we need to win the final Test to draw the series.
The drama at home after John, my father-in-law, fell off a ladder and suffered a serious head injury, gave me mixed emotions about staying out here. As no one was around when he fell, the police and hospital got me to watch CCTV footage, which is linked to my phone, and replay the incident. It was very distressing and I was up until 1am during the Multan Test trying to find out what happened.
My wife Hayley was extremely upset and when we arrived in Faisalabad I was very close to getting in a taxi and heading to the airport. I even checked where my passport was. Thankfully, he is making a good recovery.
Having people to turn to that I trust like Duncan Fletcher and Michael Vaughan, has helped. Our team unit is a good one, which is what you need, especially on tours like this where tight security means you spend a lot of time in each other's company.
Killing the hours when you are not playing or practising can be a problem. My computer's been taking the brunt, especially the web cam, which allows me to speak to my wife and baby.
I've never been much of a book man, but I've got a Playstation and loads of DVDs. Between us, we've got about 300 different films and documentaries, so there's no need to watch any repeats.
The team room gets used a bit more than it would in somewhere like Australia. Mind you, our physio Kirk Russell has also commandeered it as a treatment room, though that has meant the odd medicinal beer.
Although we all have our moments, there is no one to play the village idiot as Darren Gough used to do. Mind you, Flintoff and Ashley Giles can be funny, especially when they start bantering with each other.
Television is another way to pass the time and I've been glued watching Brian Lara break Allan Border's record of 11,174 Test runs. I got to know Brian well on the last West Indies tour and he's a really good guy. It's an amazing achievement and I'm delighted for him. Although we are both left-handers, I'm very regimented compared to him.
I'm nearly 30 and I've made just under 5,500 runs, so I don't think I can get near him. It would need another six or seven years of playing well to get close. If I manage another five I'll have done all right. Hopefully I can close the gap a little with a big score this week.
We’ll Bounce Back
I couldn’t be more pleased at the way things went for me personally during the First Test against Pakistan. Unfortunately, I couldn’t be more disappointed at the way it went collectively.
Defeat wasn’t really on the agenda when we started the last day, but we came up 22 runs short and are now one down in the series.
It was a great Test between two very good sides, but if we are going to get something out of this tour we are going to have to show more application at the crease. The bowlers have worked very hard, but the batsmen need to adapt to the pitches.
Whatever my contribution, it all became irrelevant when we succumbed on the last day, but we are still a unit and will continue to be. There are ups and downs in cricket, but I know we will come back strong and try to win the next one.
I may not be needed as captain next time because Michael Vaughan is progressing after his right knee problems and may well return.
Aid Effort a Real Eye Opener
It was nice to feel the ball in the middle of the bat again, but nothing what I did yesterday in the first match of the tour compared to what I saw at the weekend.
The earthquake that claimed so many lives is still destroying lives so I was pleased to be able to accompany captain Vaughany when we helped the relief effort.
Flying in the Chinook helicopter was an experience in itself, but what we saw when we landed in the mountainous regions that claimed so many really did open our eyes to the scale of the disaster.
We helped unload parcels of rice, macaroni and dates on our first mission, but when we landed again we didn’t have time to hand out the bags – people just rushed up and dragged the parcels off themselves.
Hopefully we helped raise the awareness of the scale of the disaster and made people realise just how much more is needed. Seeing what I did, certainly put cricket into perspective.
But a series against Pakistan is what we are here for principally and my hundred certainly felt good even though the tougher tests are ahead. Hopefully it was the first of several.
LET’S GET IT ON
Thursday just can’t come soon enough. Everybody in the England camp is desperate for the most important game in English cricket in recent memory to get started.
It will be a full house every day at The Oval once we set about determining the fate of The Ashes as Australia bid to come back from 2-1 down.
Who would have thought after we lost the first match at Lord’s and people, particularly Australians, started talking about a 5-0 whitewash. Those claims were quickly proven to be unsubstantiated and now we are on the verge of history.
We will have to do it without Simon Jones, who has failed a fitness Test and his loss is a blow to the side. His wickets have helped get us in the position we now hold, but it also gives somebody else the chance to come in and be a hero.
The confidence is still high and hopefully we will finish the job in London. It will mean so much for English and world cricket if we do because the Aussies have been top of the pile for a long time.
All we need to do is relax as much as we can before the game and then continue playing as we have for most of the summer, but we can’t get carried away because if we do I fear for what might happen.
It’s certainly been a series to remember and we know the Aussies will come at us hard because they are a very proud bunch.
The nation will be glued to the television come Thursday and hopefully we will deliver. It’s not often that anybody gets the chance to beat Australia, but we have shown that we can do it.
