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While I was away playing hockey on the wind swept and wet south coast this bank holiday weekend, England handed the Windies their biggest ever thrashing, winning by an innings and 283 runs.

I didn’t get to see too much of the match, but I saw enough to know that although this was a good victory, it wasn’t against a good side and we have a very very long way to go to compete at the top level. 

Our batsman at least have started to fire with Pietersen finally getting passed the 154 mark with an impressive 226, Vaughan getting a century and Prior continuing his excellent start.  However, it is the bowling which will cost  us dear against better sides.

With the exception of Sidebottom, who bowled a consistant line and length, swinging the ball and giving the hapless Windies all sorts of problems, our seamers were far too erratic.  Had Harmison and Plunkett bowled at the same sort of level as Sidebottom then the margin of victory could have been much greater.  Until we find other bowlers who can hit the mark again and again, then we will always struggle against the best sides. As luck would have it though, the Windies were in no way good enough to expose this weakness.