Peter Crouch has been handed the number nine shirt for the World Cup by England coach Fabio Capello – potentially boosting his chances of starting the first match against USA (Crouch 5/1 to be First Goalscorer v USA).

The Tottenham marksman has edged out club colleague Jermain Defoe and Aston Villa forward Emile Heskey for the famous shirt, worn by England legends Nat Lofthouse and Sir Bobby Charlton at previous World Cup finals.

Crouch, 13/2 to be Top England Goalscorer, has got a better than one-in-two goal ratio for England – finding the net 21 times in 38 appearances, not all of them starts, and will be tough to dislodge from the starting line-up if he dovetails well with Wayne Rooney in the opening match.

Aaron Lennon (11/1) and Joe Cole (9/1 to be First Goalscorer v USA) could be in line to fill the wide berths in the opening match, with Lennon inheriting David Beckham’s number seven shirt and Cole taking the number eleven jersey.

Further clues to Capello’s starting line-up can be drawn from David James taking the number one shirt over rival goalkeepers Joe Hart and Robert Green while fitness doubt Gareth Barry has to make do with the number fourteen shirt.

Frank Lampard, who boasts 20 international goals from 78 matches, keeps the number eight he wears for Chelsea and could be a big price in the Top Premiership Scorer in World Cup 2010 market after his sensational season with the Blues.

Lampard (16/1) hit 22 goals from midfield last term, the same number as Argentina’s Carlos Tevez (14/1) and more than both Nicolas Anelka (11/1) and Fernando Torres (4/1).

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