Little genius talks big

Thorpe admits that the brutal schedule of the triumphant winter tour to South Africa, when five Tests were crazily crammed into 40 days, had taken its toll.

He said: "It was the most difficult series I've taken part in in terms of intensity because it tested everything. It was tough mentally and physically."

At the end of the Fifth Test at Centurion, Thorpe was starting to look every day of his 35 years as his fielding began to fall prey to an aging frame. Those painkillers he takes for a dodgy back had never been so welcome.

Yet the Surrey left-hander's value to England remains inestimable despite a rather mediocre tour (his 287 Test runs came at an average of 35.87).

No longer the thrilling counterattacker of old, he has matured into an utterly dependable no-frills accumulator, especially when Tests are in the balance.

All Thorpe's four centuries last year, the most productive in his 12-year Test career, came when the need was greatest. He has been a player reborn since he capped a dramatic return to the Test side in September 2003, following 14 months in the wilderness, with a brilliant 124 at the Oval.

"I looked at a last chance and managed to grab the opportunity," he said.

"I've had a wonderful 18 months. The team have had a lot of success and it has been great to have been involved in it. The team has taken huge strides if you look at where we have come from, both in terms of how the team is managed and results on the pitch."

Thorpe is a big fan of Michael Vaughan's ruthless yet relaxed captaincy style.

He said: "He sets good benchmarks. He has always made it a place where we have been able to enjoy our cricket even if it has been a bad day's cricket.

"Under Nasser we needed his steel and we needed him to be hard on the team. Now the team is hard on itself. The key is still to relax and enjoy it."

And so to the Ashes. How should England approach a series which Jeff Thompson, among others, says is out of their reach because of the Australians' sustained excellence?

"There's no point going on about Australia's record," said Thorpe. "Everybody knows they are an exceptional team.

"If the players get all built up by the hype, it will be counterproductive. If the players relax and enjoy the cricket and don't look too far ahead, we have an opportunity."

Thorpe knows England must improve on their winter efforts.

He said: "We underperformed in South Africa but we had times when our individual performances helped us. We aren't going to overturn Australia unless 80 per cent of the team is functioning.

"If you stay in the game for three days, you give yourself a chance. In a lot of their wins, they got on top of the opposition early and never let them back into the game."

On a personal level, Thorpe knows this is his last chance to help England regain the Ashes that have remained in the iron grip of Australia for 16 years.

"I've missed out on the last two series, the last one because of personal problems and the one before because of injuries.

"Even though the Ashes are in July, I feel I want to be in form for Bangladesh to give myself an opportunity to be selected against Australia."

There is no doubt that a fit Thorpe will line up at Lord's on 21 July, even if he barely registers a run to his name over the next three months. England cannot do without his nous and experience. Crucially, he also has a good record against Australia, who respect his ability to grind out runs when they are most needed.

Happily, he has overcome the offfield problems that led to a very public split with his ex-wife Nicky and threatened to bring a premature end to his career.

He will become a father for the third time in August when Amanda Duncan, his partner of two years, is expecting their first child, shortly before the second Test begins at Edgbaston.

"The baby won't affect my commitment to England at all, barring it being a wonderful experience away from the cricket field. It's fabulous for this to happen at this stage of my life. I feel I'm really lucky to have met Amanda," he said.

For Thorpe, his state of mind has always had a direct effect on his onfield performances.

He returned to pre-season training with Surrey on 1 March and claims to be as enthusiastic as he has ever been about the dawn of a new season.

Thorpe said: "Hopefully I will see the benefit of that. It would be nice to get some runs under my belt. I never want to worry about getting runs going into Tests."

As he embarks on his 18th and possibly final season in first-class cricket, the popular and admired player knows he has the chance to make it the most memorable of his career.