There are many reasons as to why England went down in such a slump. IPL distractions could be a valid excuse but as Michael Holding mentioned other sides including Westindies have managed to cope so why can’t England? Or is the fame and glamour to high for them to deal with ? Also no coach and a brand new set up under a new leader could mean that it was difficult surroundings for players to adapt. Therefore it’s acceptable to consider the victory as a one off.

However from a technical aspect this defeat is unacceptable for an international cricketer?

Here below I’m going to show on why I feel England lost the match:

- KP playing in T20 mode and was getting out in a careless manner in the first innings and indeed payed the penalty.

- Andrew Strauss, Cook and Ian Bell struggled for timing and form. Their footwork was in mess.

- Monty Panesar bowled well in patches and certainly made the ball talk by producing the “magic ripping spinner” frequently through his spells. His repetition of the “jaffa” was an admirable art and an overwhelming sight of perfection. This is one the true beauties of test match cricket and I feel Monty could have easily picked up a 5 wicket haul with the class and guile he bowled with. However at times he looked a bit too predictable and lacked variation which perhaps demonstrates as to why he only picked up the single wicket. He also looked much more casual in approach and managed to control his excitement when picking up the wicket. At the start his body language was low on confidence. But with Mushy’s experience in the background Mont should feel assistance is at the door step.

But take nothing away from this convincing and outstanding victory to the awesome Westindies. The Nash innings was a significant contribution and the ideal stabiliser batting in association with the lower order. In Sulimen Benn Westindies found a matchwinner and was a revelation capturing 8 wickets. Jerome Taylor and Powell may have exploited weaknesses in the left hand opening pair. Jerome’s spell on that Saturday afternoon was a spell of sheer quality which took the game completely away from England’s reach.

Now following that victory I feel the series is very much alive and open and Westindies should really feel inspired and motivated with such a perfect victory. Full credit has to given to the grounds man for producing a cracking wicket which produced gripping drama and also favoured a result. Exactally the type of wicket one can dream of so applauds to him.

Had I been in the shoes of the England captain I would make 2 adjustments for the next match in Owais Shah for cook as Bell perhaps should open the innings. I feel Owais Shah and Pieterson respectively are the best batsmen in the team. Also I feel England don’t really require or value the presence of a swing bowler in the Caribbean heat and therefore recommend Adil Rashid to fit in at number 8 and accompany Panesar especially if the wicket was like this.

The moment of the test match in my opinion was the Prior dismissal in the second innings. Building up to that wicket the discipline maintained by Taylor was perfect mapping and that dismissal was truly wonderful off cutter which deviated to hit the top of off stump. A true sight of perfection which summarised the energy and skill shown by Gayle’s troops that afternoon.

I feel England will have a bit of a selection dilemma on their hands of whether to play 2 spinners. Graeme Swann toiled in the warm up matches and went wicketless and therefore the logical approach will be to go along with 2 spinners in Rashid and Panesar especially with Mushy’s expertise and presence in the background. Also I feel a couple of the fast bowlers toiled in the Caribbean heat whereas when England had Panesar and Rashid operating in tandem they were winning and picking up wickets ever so convincingly.

Although the tradition in the Caribbean is to go along with a single spinner and u may argue that St ‘Kitts side were a weaker force but I personally feel that Rashid has proven enough and deserves the opportunity to be granted with a test debut. Therefore I recommend England pick 2 spinners along with 3 fast bowlers considering the all-round balance of Flintoff is fit or if not England will still be able to play 3 fast bowlers as Rashid is an idealist to fulfil those shoes. From a general overview I feel that Harmison will be the ultimate threat against the Westindies as the wickets tend to suit his type of bowling.

As regards to the batting England have generally done well. Recognitions for KP and the left hand opening pair who seem to have stolen the headlines in the warm up matches.  Meanwhile Owais Shah has given the selection committee a headache to ponder over. But Ian Bell’s continuous struggle for form seemed to have justified that position. The only reason I can think England will opt for Bell is as a short leg fielder when the spinners are in operation! Sorely that factor doesn’t come into consideration at test match level. Does it?

Although during this preview I’ve been focusing on England we shall not write of the Westindies though as they have the “block wall” in Chanderpaul in their ranks who England must conquer. However, Westindies have struggled to compete in the last 5 or 6 years as represented by their position in the ICC rankings and therefore put England as firm favourites.

Overall an interesting and exciting series on the menu. I predict England will win 2-0 under the captaincy of Mr Strauss . But test cricket can be a funny game and if Westindies A can make England surrender than why can’t Westindies?