Paul Collingwood cricket basics: catching

By Paul Collingwood England all-rounder

Our thoughts this week are not of what has happened so far this summer, or the players we are missing. Our sights are set on revenge after our 2-0 defeat in Pakistan last year.

Duncan Fletcher has got videos and DVDs of Pakistan's players from last year but English conditions are vastly different

It was disappointing to lose over there, after having such a good Ashes summer, so we want to show them what we are capable of.

The injury news continues to flood in and seeing some of the boys on crutches the other night was quite sad.

At least there are no longer any ifs and buts with Michael Vaughan after he was ruled out for six months. Hopefully he'll make a full recovery from his knee surgery.

Freddie Flintoff does not have a long-term injury and it was good to see him back in action for Lancashire.

And Matthew Hoggard has been living in an oxygen chamber since injuring his hand, so his mobile signal has been off and I haven't been able to catch up with him yet.

Hopefully he will be OK for Thursday but, whatever else is going on, we have to concentrate on the boys playing in the side right now and concentrate on winning

Duncan Fletcher has got videos and DVDs of Pakistan's players from last year but English conditions are vastly different so our plans will be different.

I struggled during the one-day series with a deep thigh bruise and broken rib that took a couple of painful weeks to diagnose

Their bowling attack is likely to have changed greatly - Shoaib Akhtar is a big loss but we know they have strength in depth in youngsters like Mohammad Asif.

Meanwhile the clock is ticking down to the start of another Ashes series, which is already in the back of our minds.

We have to use these four Tests to start setting plans out and the main thing is to get the intensity and consistency as high as if we were playing against Australia.

A plan can be as simple as bowling straight or being aggressive.

Usually they are basic things that help apply pressure on the opposition, which we have struggled to do over the last few months.

Shoaib took 17 England wickets in the last series

We've sometimes bowled four good balls in an over and let them off with the last two, or made 30s and 40s without getting hundreds.

It will help that we are back in Test cricket, where you can drag the situation back after a bad session, unlike the one-day game where 10 or 15 bad overs can lose you the game.

I struggled during the one-day series with a deep thigh bruise and broken rib that took a couple of painful weeks to diagnose - even sneezing hurt.

But I feel fit again and I will look forward to the challenge of bowling a few overs if I'm asked to fill the fourth seamer's role in Freddie's absence.

It will be interesting to see how the selectors balance the side without Fred, who fills two roles, but I don't think we have chosen the team looking for a draw

As players we want a win at Lord's and for the rest of the series - our goal is to win every single Test.