South Africa World Cup news: Peter Crouch hopes to have 'staked a claim' on England place

04/03/2010

Peter Crouch is hoping his two goals against Egypt will push him higher up the pecking order for England's South Africa World Cup squad.

The Tottenham striker scored a second-half brace in the 3-1 victory over the African Nations Cup winners, having come on at half time as a substitute.

It takes the 29-year-old's international goals tally to 20 in just 37 appearances, better than the likes of Emile Heskey and Carlton Cole, who appear to be his main rivals for a place at the South Africa World Cup.

Crouch said he is keen to make the most of every opportunity he gets to impress England football manager Fabio Capello and said a place in the squad is always in the back of his mind.

"Everyone wants to be part of that and hopefully I've staked a bit of a claim," he said.

Prior to the match, former Republic of Ireland international Tony Cascarino said Crouch should be ahead of Heskey and Cole in Capello's thinking.

"I would pick him every day of the week," the pundit wrote on footballpools.com.

Posted by Oliver Jakes