Andrew Strauss has shown what is possible after being down and almost out. Now he needs his England side to embark on a similarly stunning revival in Trinidad, where the final Test begins today.

The tourists must try to find a way to level a series which they are losing 1-0 - and, in the process, win their first contest of the winter after failing in India before Christmas.

In captain Strauss, England have a fine example. This time last year the Middlesex batsman was fighting for his international future, having been dropped for a tour of Sri Lanka and then made a less than convincing return in New Zealand.

But a laborious century at Napier earned Strauss some time and, since being made skipper, he has been a revelation in the Caribbean, with free and flowing centuries during the drawn Tests in Antigua and Barbados.

Steve Harmison, Monty Panesar and Ian Bell - all dropped during this five-match series - should take heart from the captain's comeback. And all those playing today can draw inspiration as well.

"Those guys were dropped because they weren't performing well and I think it is important anyone is droppable while at the same time encouraging consistency," said Strauss.

"Hopefully all three of those guys will come back stronger and end up producing better results for England than they were. It's not dropping them to get rid of them - it's to try to get better from them."

Strauss has scored four Test centuries this winter. Yet, 12 months ago, many people thought his career might be over.

"In hindsight, getting dropped was a bitter pill to swallow and in a way quite humiliating," said the opener. "You are forced to decide what you need to do to get back and play better. You either come back from that or you don't. For me, maybe it was the kind of slap in the face I needed."

England have taken plenty of slaps in recent months. They lost a Test to India in Chennai which appeared to be theirs for the taking, then lost captain Kevin Pietersen and coach Peter Moores following an amazing fall-out and, at the start of this series, lost in astonishing fashion in Jamaica where they were bowled out for 51.

"From my point of view as captain I have to look at things starting from West Indies," said Strauss. "We have had a lot of upheaval and change and we certainly wouldn't want to be going into this Test match 1-0 down, there's no doubt about that. But one bad session in Jamaica has meant we are in this situation and we have one more opportunity to salvage something out of the series.

"We've played good enough cricket to believe we can win this Test and if we play at a similar level to how we played over the last two games then we have a good chance."

Strauss had plenty to ponder last night while trying to finalise his team - including possibly handing a first cap to fast bowler Amjad Khan and also considering the merits of another would-be debt-maker, leg-spinner Adil Rashid.

In memory of those killed in the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore on Tuesday, England and West Indies players will wear black armbands throughout the final Test and observe a minute's silence before start of play.

Meanwhile, the fall-out from the outrage continues back in Pakistan, with the country's former captain Javed Miandad calling for Chris Broad to be banned for life by the ICC for criticising security in Lahore.

Broad, the ex-England batsman turned match referee, has claimed that he and other officials for that Test were left like "sitting ducks" during the attack.

But now Miandad has joined Pakistan cricket boss Ijaz Butt in rounding on Broad and said: "I will urge the ICC to impose a life ban on Broad as he, being the official, has no right to make such remarks in public."