Batty is a useful cricketer but he is best known for his performance in Antigua where he conceded the runs that allowed Brian Lara to regain his world record and then go on to become the first batsman to score 400 runs in an innings. Nottinghamshire's Graeme Swann and Lancashire's Gary Keedy are England's only other alternatives, and Australia's batsmen are unlikely to lose any sleep over them.l Matthew Hoggard will play for Yorkshire in this week's County Championship match against Lancashire. Steve Waugh, who captained Australia on 57 occasions in his illustrious career, also believes that his former team-mates will adopt this approach."I think this tour is going to be a major test for Giles," Waugh said. "I think Australia will really look to dominate him and I think he will play a major role, depending on how he handles it.

If he gets dominated, I think that will really upset the balance of England's attack."Giles's comments at the start of the 2004 season, when he stated that he had considered packing in Test cricket because of the flak he was receiving, shows that his confidence is vulnerable, but the experience of 45 Test appearances means that he is far more likely to cope with the expected onslaught than any of those who have premonitions of taking his place.Gareth Batty played in the two matches against Bangladesh and he can expect to line up against the Australians at Lord's on 21 July should Giles fail to recover. In his first over, one of these players will undoubtedly shimmy down the wicket and attempt to hit him straight back over his head for six. But it is not just the cost of every wicket that causes England captains nightmares, it is the rate at which the Australian batsmen score their runs.And the ultra-positive approach of Ricky Ponting's highly talented batting line-up is unlikely to change this summer. Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Adam Gilchrist, Michael Clarke and Ponting will be looking to get after England's spinner as soon as he is introduced into the attack. These dusty areas limit the range of strokes a left-handed batsman can confidently play, and frustrate right-handers who do not know whether to pad him away or play a stroke.English spinners have had a dreadful time against Australia in the last two Ashes series. In 10 matches, Giles, Philip Tufnell, Robert Croft and Richard Dawson have taken only 14 wickets at an average of 63 runs each. It takes 1,500 words to say that Brussels will put legislation out for scrutiny but doesn't have to act on any recommendations it receives about anything.Jack Straw's answer to Mr Heathcoat-Amory gave me heart.

The more you see of the evasions and elisions of our own heavily scrutinised parliamentarians, the less scope you'd want to give the impenetrable legislators over there.simoncarr75 hotmail More from Simon Carr. In matters European, waiting has long been elevated into official British policy. With the French and Dutch "no" votes, Tony Blair must believe that Britain's boat is finally coming in. If he hangs around for just a little longer, the European Union will shed its garlic-scented carapace to reveal the infinitely flexible, blandly inoffensive form of l'Europe britannique. The first is that the odds on Ms Merkel and M Sarkozy reaching their respective pinnacles of elected, or executive, office may not be as short as they appear.