Mr Thorpe, your country needs you

He is a class act with plenty of experience and England need him - now.

Mind you, even with three Thorpes I would expect Australia to win at Lord's.

They can play a fair bit better than they did at Edgbaston, where some catches were dropped and the fast bowlers didn't get it together in the first innings. But England's task is to be competitive. If you can hang on in there then anything's possible.

On the plus side for them at Edgbaston, I thought Mark Butcher did well in both innings. That was a good effort for a bloke called up at short notice and it took a cracking delivery from Brett Lee to get rid of him on Sunday.

Mike Atherton in the first innings and Marcus Trescothick in the second also made it difficult for Australia. After those three, though, it is hard to find too many English success stories. They know they must be at their very best in all departments to upset Australia.

But the batting disintegrated twice after decent starts, at least six chances went begging in the field and the bowlers failed to take advantage of the most helpful conditions in the match.

I've heard people wondering out loud whether England lack conviction against Australia after taking so many beatings over the past 12 years.

I would hate to think that was the case. In fact, it is impossible to imagine someone like Darren Gough, for example, going out there with a negative thought in his head.

No, I just think Australia are so good at pouncing on the opposition when they get the chance.

Take Michael Slater, for example. He barely received a mention when people were talking about who should be man of the match, and yet his innings of 77 really put England on the seat of their pants.

The Poms were feeling pretty good about themselves after that last wicket century stand between Alec Stewart and Andy Caddick. Yet Slater wiped the smiles from their faces in no time by taking 18 runs off Goughy's first over.

England will remember those few blows for the rest of the series.

Almost inevitably, though, the earliest bit of damage was done by Shane Warne.

First of all he tells everyone that his role in the side has now changed and he's just a support act for the three quicks - McGrath, Gillespie and Lee.

Then he takes five English wickets in an innings for the umpteenth time. What a surprise.

Barring injuries, Australia have an attack to last them all summer, no matter what the conditions. But I think England will need to go down the pace route at Lord's.

It didn't surprise me Dominic Cork was left out at Edgbaston because from what I saw of him during the one-day series he's not bowling well at all. There was no swing and there was no zip.

Matthew Hoggard's continued absence did amaze me, though. I've been a fan of his since I saw him bowling for York-shire against Zimbabwe last year.

He swung the ball at a good pace and looked as dangerous in his second and third spells as he did in his first.

And yet I gather Hoggard has struggled to get a regular game for his county, never mind his country. Now it seems as if he is injured.

England will need to find another fast bowler to support Gough, Caddick and Craig White because I can't see them playing a spinner at Lord's.