Cricket: Strauss Goes From Apologist to Optimist

Many an England captain has felt a sense of foreboding in the hours before the Headingley Test but Andrew Strauss faced the most unpredictable arena on the circuit with cause for confidence yesterday. England had proved that there was "life without Fred".

To Strauss's mind, the innings victory against Pakistan at Old Trafford had allayed any psychological doubts about whether England could adapt after losing their supreme all-rounder. "Winning a Test match without Fred was important, just to prove to us that there is life without Fred," he said. "Hopefully he will be back as soon as possible but until then it is important that we can churn out victories without him. It was important for us to overcome that hurdle."

Flintoff was absent yesterday but another injured England captain hobbled out on crutches for a conversation with Strauss on the square. A month ago such a chat would have had a different feel, a conversation between an indisposed but undoubted leader and the third-choice leader filling in as best he could.

Michael Vaughan was the captain about to undergo a fourth knee operation but with hopes of leading England in the Ashes not quite extinguished. Strauss was the apologist, whose attempts to substitute for him had resulted in a 5-0 thrashing by Sri Lanka in the NatWest one-day series.

"That was a pretty bleak day and a bleak drive back down to London that evening," Strauss admitted. "But we take a lot of heart from what happened at Old Trafford." England's win sends them into Headingley today one-up with two to play with a chance to settle the series against a side desperate to get their fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif fit for the final Test at The Oval.

Vaughan, assumed to be out of the Ashes series by all but the most incurable optimists, and honest enough to voice fears about whether he would play for England again, is these days not so much captain as captain emeritus. Strauss, who had led more assertively at Old Trafford and had some rewards to show for it, spoke to him on equal terms. They discussed the pitch: a tamed tiger, a surface no longer bedevilled by uneven bounce.

Vaughan has seen it over the years in all its manifestations - the spit off a length on to the glove, the betrayal by the shooter, and even the flattest pitch in the land. Strauss listened to his assessment that it generally played more soundly these days but he did not entirely believe.

"The wicket looks good," he said. "It doesn't look green at all. We're expecting it to be a pretty good wicket to bat on. But I still think that overhead conditions here do play a part. We had a chat and Vaughanie has played for Yorkshire here this season so he has first-hand knowledge, but I still maintain that given the right conditions our bowlers should get something out of it."

Bob Woolmer, Pakistan's coach, was predicting a backlash. "We can bounce back," he said. "This side has a reputation for doing that."