NatWest Series 2009: England shine and glow on home turf

Sports - Cricket - NatWest Series 2009

Over the last couple of weeks it has been much more of a joy to watch cricket again, as an England fan that is.

Not even a couple of months ago, I wrote a blog on England, their unimpressive and worrying display, form and behind-the-scenes unrest when they were touring the Caribbean.

Obviously, England have always been more confident and successful at home, which team is not, but with all the problems they had, there was room and need for improvement either way.

When Andy Flower was announced as the new coach unsurprisingly, everyone pointed out what a big and difficult job he had in his hands. Many called it the much needed wind of change and demanded Flower not to give in and fall into the same main stream as the board has been criticised to have done many times before, which has led to failure too many times.

The fallout between Kevin Pietersen and Peter Moores just reminded everyone how crucial the reletionship between the captain and coach is, which made everyone the more nervous about the new appointment.

I think Andrew Strauss was the best pick, especially after the clash of the big egos. I am a big KP fan and was very disappointed his captaincy did not last longer and found it a farce how the situation with him and Moores was delt with.

But, it just proved that a captain needs to be someone who keeps his cool and his head on the shoulders in challenging situations - which reminded me of Alec Stewart, one of the best captains I have had the pleasure to watch in my time. That is why Strauss fits the role, I think, I see many similarities between his and Stewart's characters, attitudes and personalities.

Chris Gayle's confession and go against Strauss reminded me of Kevin Pietersen's whine-rant just a couple of months back - it just shows that the form does not help the mood and confidence and vice versa. It draws a sad picture of those supposedly-professional players and team leaders you are supposed to idolise and have idolised.

England have also included some promising new players into the squad. Tim Bresnan and Eoin Morgan were like a breath of fresh air, refreshing and boosting the whole team and their display.

Matt Prior, James Anderson, Paul Collingwood, Ravi Bopara, Owais Shah and the captain himself Andrew Strauss - they all looked much more comfortable and confident in their roles than before and contributed to the wins.

The impressive series has been completed and won without Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff, an interesting point that should make the England selectors think about their choices for the Ashes; if they should rely on the old not-so-fit boys or go for the fit and promising freshers.

This series should have answered that question and should hopefully set Pietersen and the other older players a new personal challenge and wake up call to get a grip and pounce on his opposition like he used to do if he does not want to lose his place.

I am full of expectations and excitement approaching the Ashes now - much more than only a-month-and-a-bit ago... *fingers crossed*