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London: Andrew Strauss delivers a spirited defence of his preference for a four-man attack in his latest book, asserting that research shows England win more matches with an extra batsman than they do with a fifth bowler.
Seven series wins and a creditable draw in South Africa since Strauss took over as captain have justified a strategy that will be tested to the full in the four-Test series against India starting at Lord's on Thursday.
Even without explosive opener Virender Sehwag, who will miss the first two Tests with a shoulder injury, India possess a batting lineup crammed with class, experience and sheer weight of runs.
India field three great batsmen in Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman with an excellent support cast including Gautam Gambhir and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, their two heroes in the World Cup final triumph over Sri Lanka in April.
If England are to take the official world number one ranking from India, they need to win the series by at least a two-match margin. The responsibility for capturing the necessary 20 wickets in a match twice will fall to James Anderson, Chris Tremlett, Graeme Swann and, in all likelihood, Stuart Broad.
Anderson came of age last year, deploying seam movement and reversing the old ball in addition to his whippy late swing. Swann, one behind Anderson in third place on the world rankings, is the world's best slow bowler, a naturally aggressive off-spinner who gives the ball a ferocious tweak but who can also play a containing role.
Tremlett's pace and bounce have made him an automatic choice since he forced his way back into the side in Australia and the choice for the remaining bowling spot at Lord's lies between Broad and Tim Bresnan.
