Football FanCast columnist Rob Facey cannot understand how Emile Heskey has been selected ahead of Peter Crouch in the England squad and wonders whether the decision shows just how few options Capello has when considering the England frontline.

Fabio Capello has insisted the door has not been shut on Peter Crouch after he was not named in the squad for tonight’s game against the Czech Republic but I’m sure the Pompey striker fears the worst.

Crouch has said that he thought his move to the South Coast would benefit his chances for England selection as he would be playing more regularly but a lacklustre start by Portsmouth this season has probably worked against him. He was a regular in Sven Goran-Eriksson’s latter years and too under Steve McClaren and has always performed well for England when given the chance. Wigan striker Heskey already has 45 caps to his name and was recalled to the squad last year after years in the international wilderness.

Capello has acknowledge that this is the last opportunity he will have to try out new attacking options before the World Cup qualifiers start, but Crouch will still cut a worried figure as he watches from the stands.

"This is the last friendly before the qualifiers and there will not be a lot of experiments but I have the possibility to (get to) know better some players like Emile Heskey," explained Capello, as reported by Sky Sports.

"It is the first time I've picked him in the squad. I followed Heskey last year and saw two or three games. He wasn't fit for me.

"I saw the last game, he was very good and played very well. I think he is an interesting player, but it has not closed the door for Crouch."

The truth is, regardless of how disappointing this is for Peter Crouch, this whole affair serves to highlight just how short on strikers England are. Rooney simply does not score enough, for club or country, to be considered first choice out and out striker. If he does start he normally feeds off a target man like Heskey or Crouch. But then again, neither of these players guarantees goals for England. The only player who does guarantee a hatful of goals is Michael Owen, but his fitness means that he is a liability and Capello would be taking a huge risk in building a team around him.

Defoe, in my opinion, is not good enough to lead the line internationally and there are very few other alternatives. Aston Villa duo Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor are two for the future but they are also the exact players that the current squad are missing. Who would you have in the team; Heskey or Crouch? And who would you partner them with? Capello called for his midfielders to chip in with goals earlier in the week, but with a frontline so shy of scoring he will soon be calling on his defenders too.