Croft tunes up for Lord's

Croft takes a wicket in the semi-final against Surrey

Glamorgan off-spinner Robert Croft is hoping for a double celebration this weekend.

His primary concern is helping the Welsh county win a Lord's final for the first time in their history when they meet Gloucestershire in the Benson and Hedges Cup.

But his performance in the tour match against the West Indies, which ended on Thursday, provided a timely reminder of his ability ahead of next week's first Test.

Joy will be unconfined should Glamorgan lift the trophy. The closest they have come in the past was a five-wicket defeat by Middlesex in the 1977 Gillette Cup final.

Sharing an England win with Neil Fairbrother

"We will party like no team has ever partied if we win. The only thing is I wouldn't want to wake up too many people who may be sleeping from the MCC," said Croft.

Glamorgan have collected their fair share of silverware in recent seasons, having won the Sunday League seven years ago and the County Championship in 1997.

Winning a Lord's final would, however, be something special and Glamorgan are well aware of the level of expectation.

"This is a huge event for Wales, a massive day for the fans and the players really want to lift that Cup, but we must be careful not to get caught up in the euphoria of it all.

"It's incredible the number of phone calls I've received with people asking for tickets or wishing me well. The boys from my local village in Hendy are leaving at 5.00am in a minibus to get there.

"It's only at times like this when you begin to realise just how many people are interested in cricket in the country and it's great for everyone involved," Croft added.

He has played in 14 Tests and 44 one-day internationals for England and was part of last year's World Cup squad.

Despite his pride in wearing the 'Three Lions', Croft leaves no-one in any doubt that he is 100 per cent Welsh.

A great vocal talent?

"We're a very patriotic team. Even the English lads who have come into the side really feel for Wales.

"We have our own song which gets used when we win matches and hopefully we'll be giving a rendition of it at Lord's," he said.

Croft has worked hard to improve his game and match figures of eight for 70 against West Indies at Sophia Gardens showed he still has something to offer at international level.

"Over the past 18 months it was obvious my game was not good enough to succeed at the highest level. When that happens, you either sit down and wallow in self-pity or you look at yourself in the mirror and think about what you can do to address that.

"I did it with my batting a few years ago and I've now done the same with my bowling."

Every cricket supporter in Wales will be hoping he gets among the wickets again on Saturday.