Allround Giles silences the critics

From the England team's point of view, one of the most pleasing aspects of Monday's four-wicket victory at Trent Bridge was the contribution of their under-fire spinner, Ashley Giles. Not only did Giles take six wickets, including two of New Zealand's top three in each innings, but he also played a vital role with the bat, scoring 45 not out in the first innings, and an unbeaten 36 in partnership with Graham Thorpe in the second.

"I'm delighted for Ashley to come in at the end and do well like that," said Michael Vaughan, who has stuck by his friend through thick and, mostly, thin in the past few series. "He had a fantastic game and showed a hell of a lot of character to produce that kind of performance, after taking a little bit of stick of late."

Giles took 18 wickets in favourable conditions in Sri Lanka last December, but was a virtual passenger during England's historic series win over West Indies earlier this year. Led by Steve Harmison, the seam bowlers laid waste to West Indies' batting, with Giles restricted to just 31 overs in three matches, and he went wicketless in two of those.

"I think sometimes I can be too over-critical of myself, but I didn't get too much opportunity in the West Indies," said Giles, who admitted that the constant heckling of his performances had led him to question his future as a Test player. "I take great pride in playing for my country, but there comes a time when if you feel no-one wants you, you wonder why you do it."

"There are only so many times you can get knocked before it hurts," added Giles, who was famously likened to a "wheelie-bin" by the Test Match Special commentator, Henry Blofeld. "You expect [abuse] abroad. But even before you start bowling in England, I get people shouting 'Giles you're rubbish'. I'm not Muttiah Muralitharan. I can only do what Ashley Giles does."

Giles fills an important role for England as a No. 8 batsman of genuine ability, as he demonstrated so clearly on Monday. "At Trent Bridge I played two innings that were expected of me," he said, "and I took wickets when conditions suited. This is a very special side, and I don't just want to give it away. The guys were all genuinely happy for me because I had some success."

Giles had more success after the match was completed. It has become something of a tradition in New Zealand series that Mark Richardson, the slowest man in their squad, challenges the slowest member of the opposition in a sprint across the outfield.

"The five slowest guys all turned him down," joked Giles, "so it was left to the sixth slowest. I won by a head. But then again I have got a big head."