Well, a staggering performance in the field from England - Pakistan were 155 all out before tea, so England have wrapped up a 167-run victory and taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.
Simply brilliant, and a huge performance in particular from Monty Panesar and Saj Mahmood today, and Strauss yesterday. Big mention for Chris Read, whose glove-work was as good as advertised (two catches, one really difficult according to Cricinfo, and a stumping in the second innings alone) but who also crucially tucked in with the bat in a big way. GO Jones has going to have to go some to get back into the side, what with the reservations about his glove-work.
I reckon Read & Panesar can already get their orders of sun-cream in for Christmas, and Mahmood should make sure his passport is up to date. It's also very nice to be compensating for a disappointing Test Series and a truly diabolical one-day series against the Lankans by wrapping up a series win against Pakistan - something which cannot be taken for granted at all. Then again, perhaps we underestimated the Lankans - they've just chased down 359 in the fourth innings (the sixth highest chase in Test history) to win the second test against South Africa by one wicket and seal a 2-0 series win. 359/9- that must have been some innings to watch!
Suddenly, we're two up with one to play against Pakistan and - perhaps - thinking of this winter. Here's the dream-team (if all injuries miraculously heal):
Trescothick
Strauss
Vaughan ©
Pietersen
Cook
Flintoff
Read (wk)
Hoggard
Harmison
Mahmood
Panesar
I think Cook just edges it for me over Bell... there's something about Cook's unflappable nature that earmarks him for a massive future in Test cricket. It's staggering to think he's only 21 - he is going to be an England colossus, I have no doubt. He already enjoys a Test average of almost 60... not bad, given he already has 12 innings under his belt. I hope that's not just my Essex bias talking there, though!
If Vaughan isn't fit, then move Cook up to 3, Freddy up to 5 and Bell in at 6, where he's had a superb summer - it's somehow as if the shackles are off, and he just plays his natural game.
If Freddy isn't fit, we've got problems. Big, big problems. Difficult to know what to suggest - whoever you bring in is going to be sloppy seconds, in a sense. I can't really see who is the natural replacement, bowling-wise. Jon Lewis? Not for me. I imagine Plunkett will get the nod - indeed, he may get the nod over Saj Mahmood. I'm not sure about that. Plunkett's height would tend to suggest that there would be plenty for him to extract out of most Australian pitches bar the SCG (a traditional bunsen); however, as Tait proved last summer and as Lee proved in his early career, there's no substitute for raw pace, so I'd be inclined to go with Mahmood first, and Plunkett only if Freddy is injured.
Of course, that would require Read to move up to six and Bell up to five, placing even more pressure on them... but there are plenty of runs in that top 5, for sure.
One final conundrum... what happens if the King of Spain is fit? I have to say that, as things stand, I'd stick with Panesar, who is a genuine match-winner with the ball. Gile-o ties down an end, is an important squad member, score important runs... but has he ever won a match with his bowling? Panesar has only been in the side for three series, and yet he has turned games already with his bowling against the sub-continentals, supposedly the arch-players of spin. He's had Inzy as his bloomin' bunny - at Headingley - one of the least spin-friendly grounds in the country. Perhaps I'm getting caught up in the hype, but I rather suspect that Giles has lost his test place for a very long time indeed, if not permanently.
So, my injury-hit XI is..... and the "Freddy's Fit!" XI is…
Trescothick Trescothick
Strauss © Strauss ©
Cook Cook
Pietersen Pietersen
Bell Flintoff
Read (wk) Bell
Plunkett Read (wk)
Hoggard Hoggard
Harmison Harmison
Mahmood Mahmood
Panesar Panesar
12th man: Collingwood
Note - the captain for the latter XI is deliberate. Freddy has enough on his plate, and I think Fletcher has missed a trick by not rewarding Strauss with the captaincy for this winter - the current situation creates unneccessary confusion.
Incidentally, I think the Freddy's Fit XI has just as good a chance as the "injury free XI" of retaining the Ashes (in that, in effect, we've only swapped Cook for Vaughan - which says a lot about how good Cook is)... but without Freddy, I'm bound to say that I think we'll struggle.
Come on England!
Matt