England play safe with an old faithful
Flintoff may just have galvanised him and made sure his friend was also totally switched on and determined to offer his full support.
Trescothick did not exactly make the right noises while issuing a subdued battle cry when he was unveiled as captain yesterday, a speech that did not augur well for England’s chances of thriving on the flat wicket they glimpsed for the first time yesterday at the three- year- old Multan Cricket Stadium.
Even though England decided to plump for pragmatism, the fact that Flintoff was considered so seriously means he has taken a big step towards becoming Vaughan’s eventual successor.
The fragile state of the captain’s knees, however, means England have to start thinking of the future and accept that the man who led them to the Ashes is not going to be around forever.
Andrew Strauss is another outstanding candidate but the huge Vaughan’s shoes, England looked lacklustre against Pakistan A in Lahore and crashed to a heavy and demoralising defeat. Only when, intriguingly, Flintoff stepped in briefly after Trescothick left the field towards the end of the match did England seem to find the intensity that has characterised their rise to the top.
Yes, making Flintoff captain would have piled a huge amount on his already brimming plate but there is another factor that was considered. This is the first time Flintoff has had to spend any real amount of time away from the wife and daughter to whom he has become totally devoted.
There is a danger that he is going to dwell on their absence and, in company with his great friend and fellow family man Steve Harmison, become self-absorbed and, possibly, detached to the point of losing focus.
England cannot afford their two big guns to be firing at anything less than 100 per cent. Appointing regard in which Flintoff is held by players and public alike means the pendulum may, in time, swing in his direction. It will be, for the next year or two, an intriguing sub-plot.
For now, it is Trescothick who will today study DVDs of Pakistan in action and put together the detailed plans with coach Duncan Fletcher which England hope will see them emulate the class of 2000 and conquer Pakistan.
Ian Bell will be thrust into Vaughan’s slot at No 3 and it was a concern to see him looking far from fluent and troubled by Flintoff’s pace and hostility in the nets yesterday. More encouragingly, Kevin Pietersen looked in tremendous touch in the net alongside Bell, even though he has scored just 16 runs in four innings on tour. Even the big boundaries at this impressive concrete bowl looked well within his striking range.
Opportunity knocks for Bell and Shaun Udal, whose off- spin will face a searching examination at the hands of Pakistan’s master slayers of slow bowlers on a surface which looks chock full of runs.
But it is at the top of the order, in the form of Trescothick and Strauss, where England must get off to a good start and lay down the groundwork for an imposing total in a series where stalemate over five days is a real possibility.
The toss will be crucial and England badly want to bat first on a wicket where Virender Sehwag scored 309 last year and India went on to win by an innings. However, early morning moisture will give the fast bowlers a chance in the first hour after the 9.30am start, necessary because night closes in early and quickly at this time of year.
The hosts look set to leave out Mushtaq Ahmed, the veteran leg spinner who was again successful in county cricket with Sussex this year, and instead leave spin duties in the hands of Danish Kaneria and Shahid Afridi.
Their vice- captain, Younis Khan, cut a more optimistic figure than Trescothick yesterday when he said: ‘England are on a high but all the people writing us off will be wrong. We have proved to the world we are an improving side and we are on our way to the top.’
The next three weeks will decide whether England get there first.
p.newman@dailymail.co.uk