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'He's a changed man'
Wisden CricInfo staff - August 20, 2001

It was a fantastic win and I'm very pleased because it was just what we needed and just what English cricket needed. Australia played the game in the right way, and they have to take credit for that, but we really wanted this as a team, captain and coach. I thought a win was possible at about lunchtime. Me and Butch had just clicked right from the word go. We'd batted together well in the first innings too. We just kept each other going – I said a few words to him because we really needed him to bat well so that the rest of us could just bat around him, and he kept me going when I got a bit stuck in the 40s.

It was great to see him bat like that. He has been a changed man since his recall– focussed, relaxed and he really wants to do well. It's just clicked for him. I really enjoyed it – to see him come of age as an England player. It is one of the greatest innings I've seen.

I wasn't nervous when I was batting because when you're out there you're in control. But once you've been dismissed you can't do a lot - I went and sat down in the Headingley dungeons and spoke to Marcus Trescothick and Alex Tudor about any old thing and kept just the corner of one eye on the television. It was only when the target reached single figures and I knew we could win that I rushed upstairs to be part of it.

Duncan was hiding somewhere too. He pretends to be Mr Cool but we all know that he gets as nervous as the rest of us.

We've got to put certain things right before The Oval – we were still outplayed for huge parts of the game - but we've won and that will lift all our spirits. We will take that lift into the next Test.

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd