My England call-up - thrills, excitement and a few nerves

That was a terrific performance by the England boys to win the Headingley Test. A result like that gives a huge lift to the game as a whole and as if that wasn't enough, I got the call I had been hoping for on the same day. David Graveney left a message asking me to phone him, and when I got through he asked if I would like to pop along to The Oval for the Fifth Test.

I suppose in history there might have been some awkward characters who would have replied "Thanks for that Grav; if I've got nothing else on at the end of the week I'll mosey down there and see if I can get a game." Not me. I was like a kid again and teams of wild horses would not keep me away now. I was chuffed to bits, I can tell you.

It would be great to get into what is now a winning team. That was a fantastic effort to get a victory in Leeds. I know people will say that the weather played its part, that Australia were a bit off the boil after getting the Ashes all sewn up and that they were perhaps a bit reckless going for the win, but you shouldn't take anything away from what England achieved. It was good to hang on in as long as we did and then go and win it.

Mark Butcher's knock was just out of this world and I doubt if he'll ever play better. It needed an innings like his if we were going to knock off the 311 we still needed on the last day, and the way he and Nasser and the others went about it shows great strength of character. Also it was against form, history and the world champions, just to add to the sense of achievement.

As I say, it meant so much to the English game to show we could compete, against the odds, and on a pitch of which people were suspicious. OK, so it's all a bit frustrating that it didn't happen earlier in the series, but at least it's happened now and we should all be grateful for that. A great result for cricket, a great result for the country, and it's kept alive an Ashes series that, if not exactly dead, was showing signs of being seriously ill.

Now all attention turns to The Oval and I'm looking forward to joining up with a winning team. Of course it's early days as far as the make-up of the final eleven is concerned, but I'm just delighted to be in the frame. All I have done is to keep bowling - and bowling pretty well, I might add - and not worrying about Test calls. I've been working hard with Middlesex and now I'm really thrilled that I've got a chance to play at The Oval.

It's a place which holds several happy memories for me after a couple of useful performances there, notably the last time the Aussies were over and I picked up the little matter of eleven wickets in the match. If I get selected this time, I hope I can perform the same way or, who knows, even go one or two better. Well, you've got to be positive, haven't you?

I said I felt like a kid when I heard the news, and I think I will if I get to play. However much experience you've had, you still feel a bit nervous about occasions like these. It's healthy to have a few nerves, as long as they don't grab hold of you too much. It's quite a while since I played a Test and I would be very proud and emotional about getting back in and playing for the old country which is something I love doing. So there's bound to be a bit of the jangling nerves and fluttering butterflies. Excitement, pride, nervousness - they'll all be there. All that is healthy providing you can still go out and just enjoy the occasion.

One thing I was interested to hear was Butch talking about his great innings at Headingley. He was asked what he'd had at lunchtime on the last day and said he just had "a cup of coffee and a couple of fags." I'm pleased to know that he is such an ardent follower of "The Tufnell Diet for Trained Athletes" and now know where I can cadge some gaspers at The Oval. It will go some way to making up for all those he's had off me over the years.