Future generations will look back and wonder precisely what Peter Crouch did to offend Fabio Capello, whether he once criticised Kandinsky or simply turned up for an official dinner wearing flip-flops.

The Tottenham Hotspur striker boasts a remarkable scoring record of better than a goal every other game at international level, but he is still rated less than 50-50 to make it to the World Cup finals.

Crouch’s international strike-rate is the envy of his team-mates, if not the entire footballing world. After his brace last night, the 28-year-old has scored 18 goals in 35 appearances for England, and a barely credible 16 in the 17 matches that he has started.

He is not yet ready to write off his chances of making the plane to South Africa, but he was happy to concede he is unlikely to start England’s next match, despite helping them to end their World Cup qualifying campaign on a high. Fitness permitting, Emile Heskey will return to face Brazil in Doha on November 14, with Crouch sent back to the substitutes’ bench.

“I don’t expect to start the next game,” he said. “That’s up to the manager. Whenever I come in I feel I do a job and don’t let anyone down. Sometimes it’s difficult to get involved in the game, but you’re always going to have chances in this England side. I’m just pleased I put two away and hopefully I’ll get another game.”

Crouch does not have the scalps of the leading nations in his locker, with Croatia and Greece the most accomplished sides he has scored against, but he has rarely been given the chance to test himself against the best. The problem now is that he may be denied that opportunity until it is too late, as Capello has reservations based on the player’s lack of pace and inability to hold on to possession. The Italian did not so much damn Crouch with faint as no praise last night, limiting himself to an acknowledgement of the statistics.

“I know very well Peter Crouch, and I know the other players very well,” Capello said. “He’s one part of the squad. I know the numbers of Peter Crouch, but I know the players. I have a style I want to play in certain games, and I know the players who will be on the pitch. I know very well Peter Crouch. He scores a lot of goals.”

At least Crouch knows what he has done to annoy Steve Bruce, the Sunderland manager-turned-pundit, who was responsible for the bizarre choice of David Beckham as man of the match. “I couldn’t give the man of the match to Crouchie as he turned me down in the summer,” Bruce said with a smile.