Hussain wins race to lead England

World Cup Captain's return to fitness provides timely boost before crucial showdown with Pakistan that could determine his side's fate

England play their most important game of one-day cricket for four years this evening in Cape Town knowing a victory over Pakistan is crucial if they wish to keep their World Cup dreams alive.

Defeat would not see Nasser Hussain's side eliminated from the tournament, but it would make qualification for the next stage highly unlikely. To reach the Super Sixes they would then need to achieve something no other team has come close to doing in this World Cup – beat Australia.

England's cause was helped yesterday morning by the sight of Hussain, the England captain, once again practising in the nets. After missing Wednesday's match against Namibia with a sore neck there were fears Hussain would not be fit for today's vital game. However, England are now confident their leader will play after he successfully came through an hour's batting at Newlands.

The importance of this game was not lost on Duncan Fletcher, the England coach. "Psychologically this is a must win game for us," said Fletcher. "We have won four on the trot but this is the first big side we have played against. It would be good for the guys to get in there and win the game."

Reiterating that England were not out of the World Cup if they lose to Pakistan, Fletcher added: "Other sides must be very wary about England. We have seen it in the past, they don't give up [if we were to lose] so we could still win the last two and have a chance."

For England to win they need to improve on their performance against Namibia by 50 per cent. Against a side as talented as Pakistan, batsmen cannot afford to give their wicket away to a soft shot and the bowlers have to be on the spot from ball one.

Pakistan are unpredictable because they are a mood side. When they play good cricket, their confidence grows and they can be unstoppable. However, a couple of early set-backs and the self-belief will disappear as quickly as it came.

"Pakistan are a threat to any side," said Fletcher. "They tend to be unpredictable, but they have some world-class players. They can beat any side on their day if they get it all together. I know Waqar [Younis] well, he is a real class act and Wasim [Akram] is an outstanding one-day bowler. They also have their spinner Saqlain [Mushtaq], if he plays, and the batsman Inzamam [Ul-Haq] who you have to be very careful of."

Although current form favours Pakistan – they have won their last five matches against England – the sides are tied on nine wins a piece since they contested the 1992 World Cup Final in Melbourne, which Imran Khan's side won by 22 runs. Since that memorable game there has been only one other World Cup match between the two sides. That was at Karachi in 1995-96 and Pakistan walked away with a comfortable seven-wicket win.

England's World Cup performances since reaching the 1992 final have been dire. In the last two tournaments England have only beaten two Test playing nations – Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe – so a victory today would be a major achievement. However at the Newlands Ground, where 75 per cent of day/night matches are won by the side batting first, winning the toss could be the most influential moment in the game.

Having spent six years coaching Western Province here in Cape Town, Fletcher is aware of this fact. "It is important to bat first here," he said, "but it is important to bat first on most wickets. The nature of the pitch depends on the morning's weather, but they are generally known to be good wickets. There are times when it gets a little moist in the evenings and the ball can swing or nip around a bit. However if you get in, it can be a nice wicket to bat on because the ball skids on to the bat."

Whatever help there is in the pitch, Pakistan's bowlers will exploit. Waqar and Wasim may be nearing retirement, but they still have an enormous amount to offer. And when Shoaib Akhtar, possibly the fastest bowler in the world, and Abdur Razzaq are added to the equation, they have a formidable bowling line-up.

Because of this, it is England's batsmen who need to perform if they are to win this game. Hussain's bowling attack still looks lightweight and inexperienced for a competition of this stature, so it is up to the batters to make up for these deficiencies.

In Nick Knight and Marcus Trescothick, England are fortunate to have two openers who have had success against Pakistan in the past. The pair have scored three centuries against Pakistan and a fourth could well be required today for England to get the result they desperately need.

The only other decision for England to make is over which left-arm spinner plays. Ian Blackwell's back strain has improved considerably since Wednesday and Ashley Giles is expected to be fully fit after tonsillitis. Although Giles has played little cricket since breaking his wrist in November 2002, he would be the lesser risk.