Of all the comments made about England's cancelled match against Zimbabwe, one man has maintained a conspicuous, diplomatic silence.

England's coach Duncan Fletcher is a Zimbabwean with a thorough helping of dry British humour.

Talking to the media on the eve of the England-Pakistan encounter at Newlands in Cape Town on Saturday, Fletcher applauded Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar as a good thing for world cricket, adding he would prefer to watch him off the field rather than face him.

With Nasser Hussain back in the side after a stiff neck that kept him out of the game against Namibia, the English side will be in full force against Pakistan. Fletcher said all-rounder Ian Blackwell, who had complained about a bad back, was improving and would undergo a fitness test on Saturday morning before the match.

The media conference seemed more like a medical briefing with the coach updating journalists on the fitness levels of
various players. Fletcher said left-arm spinner Ashley Giles had recovered from tonsillitis. Alhough he felt weak in the nets Giles, the coach felt, would play an important role if he was picked for the match.

Claiming he was bad at geography Fletcher explained the water table in Cape Town rises when there is no rain and, therefore, argued the need for a specialist spinner. He said if the wicket skids later in the evening then it could turn out a good wicket to bat on.

But Fletcher is a man who knows his history well      

Batting first would be the key in the game as has been the case in past games in this tournament. England, he said, had won most of its games over the past few months setting targets; 250 would be the total he would look at to get batting first.

"We played well against Australia though we did not win any games," he said. "We gave them a scare. They have comprehensively beaten India and Pakistan in this tournament. The fact we play these two sides back to back should give us a lot of encouragement."

Fletcher said his side was playing the spinners well.

"We played Shane Warne very well in the last triangular in Australia and scored some 50 runs off his 10 overs,"
he said, promising what he believes will be a psychologically must-win game for England.

"People must be wary of England and realize they don't give up till they are out of the competition," he said.

Maybe Fletcher is a man who does not know his history very well.

Pakistan have beaten England in their last five meetings.