Birmingham star Heskey hasn't played for the Three Lions since the opening match of Euro 2004 against France. And these days he faces strong competition from the likes of Jermain Defoe, Wayne Rooney, Darius Vassell, Michael Owen and Alan Smith.

But the striker, who has 43 caps and five goals for his country, is in top form after scoring three goals in three games for revitalised City - including a stunning strike in the 3-2 victory over Fulham on Tuesday.

The former Liverpool man was man of the match in that game and his strike partner Clinton Morrison - an Irish international - believes he is back to his very best.

He said: "Emile is playing really well and he deserves all the credit he's getting at the moment. He's terrific and I enjoy playing with him. It's a good partnership and I hope it will help him get back in the England team.

"We are causing all sorts of problems, and you could see that against Fulham. I know every time Emile goes up in the air that nine times out of ten he is going to win his headers.

"He's big and he's physical and the manager tells me to gamble and get on the end of his flick-ons. It's working really well for me and I'm enjoying the partnership.

"In a way, Emile is a players' player. He is not going to get you loads and loads of goals in a season but he creates a lot for the team and he's a great outlet for the team.

"After that goal against Fulham he should be in England contention. He's scored three goals in the last three games and his all round game is very good so hopefully he will get an England call-up."

The Morrison-Heskey combination has propelled Birmingham up the Premiership table after four victories in a row. And it seems manager Steve Bruce has stumbled across the perfect partnership.

Morrison said: "It's a great partnership and Emile has certainly helped me because recently I've started scoring loads of goals, and it's all because of him, really. I'm not doing most of the winning headers and running down the channels, Emile does that. I can stay in the box now and try to get on the end of things and score goals.

"He takes all the bruises, but he likes that. He likes the physical battle because he's a big bloke - and I can just feed off the scraps, which is good for me at the moment.

"Things are very different here now. Confidence is high - it's going to be, isn't it, after four wins in a row? That's what we needed because we weren't putting the ball in the net. But now we've won four in a row and we're starting to climb the table."