''I thought Graeme played brilliantly on a difficult wicket against a good set of seamers,'' said Worcs coach David Houghton, an old team-mate of Hick's when both were playing for Zimbabwe. ''For Graeme, it seems county cricket releases the pressure on him. He has not got everybody writing him off, saying he is unable to cope at Test level.''

Hick's 148 against Kent was his 89th first-class century, and it powered Worcs to 311 for six at Canterbury.

It will be recalled that against India, Hick had become something of a Srinath bunny in the first two Tests. The England selectors were on the verge of dropping him for the third when, on the very weekend the selectors met to pick the side, Hick smashed 150-plus for Worcestershire against Durham. This forced the selectors to retain him in the side - and Hick failed again.

In the run up to the Pakistan series, Hick again came up with a series of good performances on the county circuit to indicate that perhaps he was getting back in form. But in both innings of the first Test at Lord's, Hick could score only four runs apiece. And on both occasions, he was blasted out by the pace and swing of Waqar Younis, a bowler Hick has never faced with any degree of confidence at any stage in his career.

Houghton appears to think that Hick, with a 100 under his belt, will have regained his confidence. Illingworth thought so too, ahead of the third Test against India after Hick had hit a similar 100.

The tricky question for Illingworth and his fellow selectors will now be to decide whether, or not, Hick's county successes can be taken as an indicator of his readiness to take on the Pakistan pace battery.