Alec Stewart: I'm playing on

After all the recent speculation in the newspapers, the first thing I can do is shed some light on my plans for the future. I've still got a year left with Surrey after this season, and I'm already in preliminary talks to extend that for another year, which will take me through to 2003. Therefore any speculation that I won't be playing any more first-class cricket after the Oval Test is pretty far from the truth. As to international cricket, you can draw your own conclusions from the fact that I'm not planning to retire from the first-class game.

Two years ago I said that I wanted to be involved in this series. That's what may have prompted the speculation that I was about to pack it in. But while I'm still enjoying the game, feeling fit, playing all right, I want to keep playing. I've played a couple of meaningful knocks in this series - both times I got out taking risks with eight or nine wickets down. You'd always like more runs than you've actually made - if you get five hundreds then you'd have preferred them to be doubles!

But from the team's point of view, we simply haven't played to the standards to which we've become accustomed in the previous five series. As Shane Warne said on CricInfo yesterday, it's Australia who have been seizing the key sessions and the key moments, which we had been doing up until this series.

I've read David Graveney's comments about my possibly batting at number seven because he likes the way I bat with the tail. No one's said anything to me yet - I've batted at five and six in this series, and previously I've played in games where we've had seven batters and I've batted five or six.

It's something for Nasser to sort out, but if 'Grav' says I bat well with the tail, I'd say I don't bat too badly with the upper order either! I had most of my success as an opening batsman, and I accept that those days have probably gone. But I've always done everything that's been asked of me by England. Whether I'm asked to open or bat at 11, if it means playing then I'll do it.

As to the Headingley Test, this game is as important as any other. We can't win the series, but we're looking for 3-2 to add a bit of credibility. We know Australia are looking for 5-0, and I'd suggest that anyone who says these next two Tests aren't important hasn't played Test cricket for his country. It's good to have Nasser back - 'Athers' and I have both filled in this summer, but hopefully Nasser's return will add something special to the team.