England 3 Belarus 0

EARLIER this week, Fabio Capello claimed England might need a “Plan C” if they are to succeed in next summer’s World Cup. On the evidence of their final qualifier, the ‘C’ could stand for ‘Crouch’. After scoring a brace in a facile 3-0 win over Belarus, Spurs striker Peter Crouch now boasts a better goalscoring ratio than anyone else in the England squad.

Given a rare opportunity to take centre stage in what was a glorified friendly at the end of a successful qualifying campaign, Crouch enhanced his claims for a place in the 23- man squad that will travel to South Africa next June.

However, while victory was never in doubt in England’s final home game of the year, a number of Capello’s fringe players merely underlined how reliant the Italian remains on a small number of key performers.

He might claim otherwise, but England’s hopes rest squarely on the shoulders of the likes of Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney. If they are injured in the final weeks of the season, Plan C might as well be ‘Come home’.

Of the assorted stand-ins on display last night, Crouch was one of the few to suggest that there is any kind of depth beyond the established firstchoice XI.

Shaun Wright-Phillips atoned for an otherwise anonymous display with England’s second on the hour mark, but Gabriel Agbonlahor produced little after setting up Crouch’s opener, while Aaron Lennon was a peripheral presence before he was substituted for David Beckham.

The likes of Spain, Holland or Brazil would hardly be fearful of facing any of the trio were they to be called upon in a crucial knock-out game next summer.

The same might not be true of Crouch though, with a record of better than a goal every other game confirming the striker’s ability to ruffle international defences.

Crouch and Carlton Cole appear to be vying for the position of Emile Heskey’s understudy. While the latter has appeared in four of England’s last five matches, the former continues to look the more comfortable on the international stage.

Last night’s double made it 18 goals in 35 international matches, and while a number have come in similarly relaxed encounters, his scoring ratio is significantly better than that of either Heskey or Rooney.

Crouch boasts World Cup experience and has never let his country down. Provided he can force his way into the Tottenham team on a reasonably regular basis, he would be extremely unfortunate not to be involved next summer.

He took just four minutes last night to confirm the strength of his predatory instincts, stabbing home Agbonlahor’s low cross from inside the six-yard box after the Aston Villa striker had beat the offside trap to reach Gareth Barry’s through ball.

He was in the right place at the right time again with 14 minutes left, pouncing to prod home the rebound after Belarus goalkeeper Yury Zhevnov had saved from substitute Carlton Cole.

Crouch’s aerial abilities were also apparent, with the target man winning a succession of headers to bring his team-mates into play.

While he might have his limitations in terms of skill, international defences clearly do not enjoy facing a player of his height and awkwardness.

Agbonlahor’s threat is markedly different. The Aston Villa man would appear to be behind Jermain Defoe when it comes to the provision of a pacier alternative from the bench.

Last night’s game was only his third in the international arena, and while his willingness to run at the opposition sporadically caught the eye, his overall impact was limited.

He set up Crouch’s opener, and produced another attacking dart midway through the first half that ended with a shot that was saved by Zhevnov, but too many of his runs ended in a blind alley.

At the moment, the jury remains out, as is also the case with goalkeeper Ben Foster. Having been recalled despite a string of below-par performances on the club stage, the Manchester United shot-stopper barely touched the ball as he also won cap number three.

Sergei Kornilenko hooked the visitors’ only first-half opportunity past the post early on, and when Foster was eventually called upon in the 37th minute, it was only to collect a tame free-kick from Sergei Omelyanchuk.

The 26-year-old’s best save thwarted Omelyanchuk again in the 64th minute, but until he is handed a more severe test, it is hard to regard him as anything more than a World Cup possible.

Wright-Phillips’ status is probably higher than that, and after barely touching the ball in the opening 59 minutes, the midfielder fired home England’s second on the hour. Picking up a short corner from Beckham, he drilled a low 20-yard strike into the bottom corner.

Crouch’s second of the night made it 3-0, and subs Beckham and James Milner both hit the post as England exploited some late Belarussian tiredness to confirm their superiority.

Match facts

Goals:

1-0: Crouch (4, stabbed home Agbonlahor’s low cross from close range)

2-0: Wright-Phillips (60, took short corner from Beckham and drilled low shot into the corner)

3-0: Crouch (76, prodded home the rebound after Carlton Cole’s shot had been saved)

Bookings: Kornilenko (54, foul)

Referee: Lucilio Batista (Portugal) – The low-key nature of the match ensured an easy night for the official 6

Attendance: 76,897

Entertainment: ✰✰

ENGLAND (4-4-2):

6 Foster: Didn’t have much to do, but showed good agility to turn Omelyanchuk’s second-half shot around the post

5 Johnson: Continues to leave gaps when he drives forward and needs to improve his positional play

7 Ferdinand: A welcome return to form, although the ability of the attackers up against him obviously helped 7 Terry: Did everything he had to do as England kept their first clean sheet for five games

6 Bridge: A steady enough display that cemented his place as the leading rival to Ashley Cole

5 Lennon: Offered little from a right-wing berth and will surely lose his place once Walcott is fit

6 Lampard: Held things together well in central midfield, even if his surges into the box were rare

6 Barry: Passed the ball around nicely and looks a much more solid centralmidfield option than Carrick

6 Wright-Phillips: Made up for a quiet first half with a well-taken shot for England’s second goal

8 CROUCH: Muscled his way into position for both of his goals and provided an aerial threat throughout

5 Agbonlahor: Set up Crouch’s goal with a welltimed run, but struggled to get into the game after that

Subs: Beckham (for Lennon, 58): Came close with a low strike that hit the left-hand post late on 6 C Cole (for Agbonlahor, 66): Produced a powerful shot that led to Crouch’s second goal 6 Milner (for Bridge, 78) (not used): Hart (gk), Upson, A Cole, Carrick

BELARUS (4-2-3-1): Zhevnov 6; Shitov 4, Verkhovtsov 5, Sosnovsky 4, Yurevich 5; Kulchy 5, OMELYANCHUK 6; Kalachev 4, Kutuzov 5 (Rodionov 46mins 4), Bordachev 4 (Kashevsky 84mins); Kornilenko 5 (Kovel 76mins).

Subs (not used): Amelchenko (gk), Rudzik, Krivets, Lentsevich

MAN OF THE MATCH

PETER Crouch – Improved his goalscoring tally to better than a goal a game, and is a superior understudy to Emile Heskey than Carlton Cole