Stick with all of us, pleads hero Strauss

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13 April 2012

Old Trafford star Andrew Strauss is adamant that England should stand by every member of their still spluttering top six.

Strauss's superb century guided Michael Vaughan's men to a remarkable six-wicket victory over New Zealand in the Second npower Test after even their captain admitted they had looked "dead and buried".

But while Monty Panesar's magical spell of spin bowling on Sunday and Strauss's innings of 106 yesterday enabled England to banish most of the earlier gloom, there is still reason for the selectors to think long and hard before naming a team for next week's final match of the series at Trent Bridge.

Paul Collingwood, who had scored just 39 runs in his previous seven innings for Durham and England this season, scrambled to an unbeaten 24 yesterday while Ian Bell would have recorded a third consecutive Test failure, rather than 21 not out, if Iain O'Brien had held a simple caught and bowled chance when the batsman was on nine.

Nearly a year, and 11 matches, have passed since Vaughan's team last reached 400 in the first innings of a Test. But Strauss - the only batting casualty during that period - insists this is not the time for change.

"I definitely think it should be the same top six at Trent Bridge," said the Middlesex opener. "I was fortunate enough to be given sufficient opportunities to come back into form. Both Collingwood and Bell have shown their quality over a long period and I don't feel their places should be in serious jeopardy at this stage.

"You are always under pressure when you're playing for England. I was a little while ago, then Michael Vaughan, and then it's on to the next person.

"I think the records show we are a pretty good top six but what we need to do is consistently get 400 on the board. We haven't done that often enough in the recent past but there's no reason why we can't in the future."

If England had lost - as seemed inevitable over the weekend before Panesar gave them a chance by taking six for 37 - and both Collingwood and Bell had flopped for the second time in the Test, then the clamour for change would have been too loud to ignore.

But, instead, Vaughan's men set an Old Trafford record by successfully hunting down a fourth-innings target of 294. And it was their two most vulnerable batsmen who finally saw them across the winning line with a luck-tinged but gutsy stand of 46.

"It was a really special day for us, one of the most special I've been involved in with England," said Strauss, who was dropped for last November's tour of Sri Lanka after going more than a year without a Test century.

Having recalled Strauss for the March series in New Zealand, England stood by him when he missed out in both Hamilton and Wellington - and were richly rewarded with his innings of 177 at Napier. Now the left-hander has made another century, his 12th at Test level, and looks almost back to his best.

"This one is right up there among centuries I've made for England," said Strauss. "It's not often you get the chance to score a hundred in the fourth innings and help your team to win the game so it was a really pleasing day for me, and an even more pleasing one for the team.

"It was a really special Test. We've been under the pump, and to come through and win is really satisfying."

Collingwood finished the contest with the help of two clubbing blows. And, despite still looking horribly out of touch, he is nothing if not a fighter.

That, together with an overall record of averaging above 40 in Tests, will probably see Collingwood retain his place for Trent Bridge.

"In Paul you've got a very good cricketer and he contributes in a lot of ways," said coach and selector Peter Moores.

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Stick with all of us, pleads hero Strauss

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