A rare day off on Monday was perfectly timed to enable us to watch the climax to the thrilling Test match at Lord's.

England again paid attention to the winning formula they had worked out in the Caribbean - and what a fantastic debut it was for the Middlesex captain, Andrew Strauss. Having been at both school and university with him, I was particularly delighted to see him succeed.

Those who watched Strauss play against Sussex last year will not be surprised to see how his technique and temperament have fitted immediately into the Test arena.

Although Sussex won the championship match at Hove, the hundred he scored in the first innings was probably the classiest innings we came up against all year. He played Mushtaq, who was bowling at the peak of his rhythm, as well as anyone else in that summer and Mushy was not alone in championing the case for his inclusion in England's winter touring parties.

To the outsider it may seem as though Strauss's achievement was a result of being in the right place at the right time. He was only playing, after all, because of a freak injury to Michael Vaughan in the nets. Furthermore, he found himself on his home ground, on a flat wicket against a bowling attack that will give no-one nightmares. He merely confirmed the probability that he would score runs.

To my mind, however, it was only a matter of time before he was selected as a replacement for Nasser Hussain. It seems that his inclusion into the England set-up has come at a perfect time in his development as a player.

At the age of 27 he is young enough, if the runs continue to flow, to play for England for a decade. Yet only now has he had the requisite experience of county cricket to be able to ensure success on the next step of the ladder.

Knowing when to pick young players for England is one of the most important jobs of the selectors and on the whole they get it right. You can take a chance on bowlers at a younger age than batsmen because bowling is less of a mental challenge than batting. It was quite right that Simon Jones and Steve Harmison were picked in their early twenties.

Bowling success at the highest level comes from the ability to put the ball in a certain area consistently for long periods of time. This is mainly a matter of having good technique and a little concentration.

Batting, on the other hand is a much more subtle art and requires the use of many more brain cells. It is only right, therefore, that a batsman will not reach his peak until he has matured as a person and it seems that this often happens from the age of about 27.

Many young batsmen have been picked, or at least earmarked for a call-up for their country in recent years, only for it to become evident that they are not ready for the challenges of Test cricket.

In Australia it would be wise to remember how Justin Langer, Matthew Hayden and Damien Martyn all struggled to make an impact when they were chosen to don the baggy green for the first time in their early twenties. After taking some time out of the Test arena, and maturing as both players and people, they came back to dominate the world cricket scene.

In England it was Mark Lathwell, the Somerset opener, who was probably the most celebrated example. Although in his case he was sadly not given another chance later in his career.

Warwickshire's Ian Bell is a more recent example. I am quite sure, having played against him now for the past four seasons, that he is getting better each year and before too long he will be ready. He may be a natural replacement for Graham Thorpe when the time comes.