Golden chance to blood youth

Without a viable allrounder, I'm sure England will again plump for an extra batsman.

The Surrey trio of Graham Thorpe, Alec Stewart and Ian Ward, who immediately looked at home in his first Test at Lord's, will all be asked to shuffle up one place leaving a vacancy at No 7.

Durham's Collingwood has been in the runs and might get the nod because he can fill in with a few overs of medium pace.

However, I don't think that should be the deciding factor and I'd give a first cap to Owais who was the leading runmaker in the country after the last round of championship games.

I know I'll be accused of Middlesex bias but of all the young prospects Owais has the most talent. He often drove me mad during my two years as Middlesex coach because his shot selection let him down time and again.

But, after a winter in Australia, he finally seems to have conquered that problem. Owais' 190 at Durham last week showed not only the necessary application to bat for a long time but also the hunger.

He also seems to have benefited from the arrival of Stephen Fleming at Lord's and I know the New Zealand captain has been impressed with his batting.

The alternative to a new man at No 7 is to leave Ward there and slip Ramprakash or Hick in higher up. While there is an argument for an old hand keeping the seat warm when a regular is out injured, a winning side like this one is the perfect environment for a youngster to get experience.

Naturally, Nasser will be straight back in when he is fit again and, though it sounds harsh, it must be said it would be a lot easier to drop an older player who has done well than a young one. Let's say Owais plays at Old Trafford and makes a century and Ward again looks good - whoever then has to make way for Nasser will feel hard done-by.

Whether or not Owais, Collingwood or Afzaal find a place in the next Test I expect all three to be included in England's trinations campaign.