The Essex factor for England

It may be rather previous to suggest it, but Essex could go a long way to making England's summer successful.

Ravi Bopara's composed, determined 143 not only helped England set the West Indies a total that they just weren't up to, it actually saved Andrew Strauss' men from a rather sticky situation as wickets tumbled around the 100 run mark of the England innings.

The idea that the number three slot for England was a problem seemed irrelevant once Bopara took control and steadied the ship. Numbers one, two, four and five looked more of a problem on the first afternoon of the Lord's test.

The form of Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood must be of particular concern to England selector Geoff Miller, particularly KP whose frame of mind has not looked right since losing the captaincy.

Bopara may not be the long-term solution at one-wicket-down for England, but he looks better qualified than the other major contenders, Vaughan, Bell and Shah, at the moment. He certainly has the confidence to take on the Aussies and will bat wherever he is asked to.

England team director (aka coach) Andy Flower knows Ravi well, of course, from his time at Essex and saw early on that Bopara had the three Ts to succeed at international level: technique, talent and temperament.

Flower, a man known for his lack of bluff and bluster, says he was wowed by Bopara the first time he saw him at the County Ground, Chelmsford: "As soon as I arrived at Essex... the first time I saw him in the nets. He would have been 17."

"I rate him very highly," Flower said after the first Test. "This is just a start for him... it was a lovely innings to watch. In the way that you watch an artist, he painted a lovely picture."

Fulsome praise from a man not known for hyperbole.

And Bopara seems to be taking it all in his stride. He had a tough induction to Test cricket with three ducks in Sri Lanka the winter before last and was dropped for tactical reasons despite scoring a century in the fourth Test in Barbados earlier this year.

But Bopara has a strong self-belief and always backs himself to succeed, which is something the England dressing room needs right now. Indeed, Bopara, who has just turned 24, is so keen to play cricket that he returns to Essex to play in the Friends Provident match against Lancashire at Chelmsford today.

Bopara's Essex team-mate Alastair Cook won't be turning out for the Eagles but will be hoping to build on some decent innings in recent weeks when the second Test starts at Chester-le-Street on Thursday.

After missing the beginning of the season with a fractured finger, Cook looked in good nick in Essex's friendly match against the West Indies at Chelmsford two weeks ago and will now look to get beyond the 30s and 40s and post a big score for his country.

If him and Bopara are playing well, England will be well set for a confidence boosting series win against the Windies before the Ashes.

And don't count out the return of James Foster to the Test fold just yet either. Widely regarded as the best gloveman in the country, he's shown good form with the bat already this season and has already been selected for the England Twenty20 World Cup squad.

Andy Flower, a wicket-keeper batsman, knows Foster's abilities only too well. Matt Prior, watch your back...