By Geoff Boycott Former England captain

There will be a huge focus on Andrew Strauss when he leads the England team out at Lord's on Thursday in the first Test against Pakistan.

I want to see if he can seize the moment, if he is the real deal. And if he is, then he might yet become England's captain for the Ashes.

Mr Strauss, stand up and be counted. That's what we're saying - here's your chance Geoff Boycott

As things stand, Strauss is third choice with Michael Vaughan and Andrew Flintoff out injured.

He did not seem to enjoy the captaincy in the one-day internationals, but captaincy is more difficult in that format because things happen so quickly and in any case we are not a very good side in one-day cricket

But we are number two in the world as a Test side and even with injuries we are still a good Test team.

So Strauss has a great opportunity to show us what he is made of.

If England win at Lord's then it's not all because of Strauss and if they lose then it won't all be his fault.

But if he does well then I believe the selectors might reverse their original decision and carry on with Strauss for the second Test at Manchester when Flintoff comes back.

People want to play for Flintoff, but his workload is so excessive that you have to ask - is it fair to give him more responsibility and more work?

Test cricket gives you an opportunity to show your ideas. Captaincy is about intuition, about having a feel for situations and having the right tactics.

The captain is so important - he pulls the strings, he makes things happen.

He can show that he's reading the game and can understand the nuances of the game.

You can see whether a guy's got the feel of the game by what bowlers he brings on, where he puts his fielders, whether he knows when to attack and when to defend.

Could Strauss be as good as fellow Middlesex man Mike Brearley?

But until you are out there in the middle you don't know how people are going to react when they are asked to captain the side.

Test cricket ebbs and flows; it changes. One-day cricket is all hit and miss and it all ends quickly.

But in Test cricket you have time to think about things. A captain has time and - if he's got it - the nous to change the way a game is being played.

If he's a smart cookie he can change the nature of a Test match.

People don't remember the great captains of one-day cricket, but they do remember Douglas Jardine winning the Ashes.

They remember Len Hutton and Raymond Illingworth going to Australia and winning the Ashes and they remember Mike Brearley winning the Ashes in England in 1981.

You don't remember these captains for their batting or their bowling, you remember them for their leadership of men and their tactical nous and this is where Strauss has a great opportunity to show what he's made of.

Most important of all, we will be looking to see if he's proactive rather than reacting to where the ball is going.

So, Mr Strauss, stand up and be counted. That's what we're saying - here's your chance.