By Ben Dirs BBC Sport Online

If Hollywood were to make a film of Matthew Hoggard's life, it would be called "The Bowler Who Kept Coming Back".

Hoggard is that priceless commodity in cricket: the relentless plugger, a bowler whose spirit cannot be doused.

Like the archetypal horror film monster, he can take the most fearful battering and hit back when you think he's finally beaten.

Caddick and Gough are injury prone

But Hoggard is made of sterner stuff.

He was by no means an automatic choice for the second Test at Edgbaston, but he bounced back with seven wickets and the man-of -the-match award.

He snaffled a further five wickets in the third Test at Old Trafford and you began to wonder why he was ever a doubt for the England team.

He bowled superbly against India in the first Test at Lord's, making up for his poor showing against the Sri Lankans at the same ground earlier in the summer.

But he bowled too short and too wide in the second Test at Trent Bridge with England looking for the win and was pummelled by Tendulkar and Co as India squared the series at Headingley.

It is undeniable that on an off day, Hoggard can look decidedly mediocre.

But unlike his England colleague Andy Caddick, who on an off day looks like he wants the ground to swallow him up, Hoggard is always eager.

It is his tenacity as much as anything else that makes him one of the best young fast-bowlers in the world at the moment.

Despite being the fastest bowlers in the world, Pakistan's Shoaib Akhtar and Australia's Brett Lee have been plagued by injury and have had to remodel their actions after chucking allegations.

Not so Hoggard, who has stood solid while his fellow fast-bowlers have been falling like flies.

As dependable as a Volvo estate, do not be surprised to see Pudsey's finest ripping through the Indian order at The Oval in the deciding Test.

And even if he doesn't, you can guarantee his head will be held high and he will be bending his back to the last.