What to do from here?

How many times have we said that recently? The first 5-0 Ashes defeat for over 80 years? Failing to win a live game against a major Test-playing nation at the World Cup? Losing at home to India? Getting bowled out for 81 in Sri Lanka? Being timidity personified in Hamilton against an admirable but not overly threatening attack, against whom England batted for 173 overs, but scored at a soporofic two-an-over, and then subsiding pathetically in the second innings for 110? Coming on the back of New Zealand being decimated by the IPl and ICL, to whom they essentialy lost half their side including their most valuable player, Shane Bond, that would take some beating.

And yet England have managed it. Scrapping over the follow-on target against the Kiwis at Old Trafford was just about as depressing as it comes. Dan Vettori has bowled with mesmerising guile (much better in fact, than he bowled in New Zealand), while Ian O'Brien has been fantastic. But England have been diffident and pathetic, showing no inclination to hit bowlers off their rhythm, allowing themselves to be trapped in their crease meekly, barely able to hit a run and just wait for their inevitable dismissals. If New Zealand have been fantastic, it is in large part because they have been allowed to be.

With the ball, England were far too loose, once more unable to exploit fairly helpful conditions. The bowlers seem incapable of thinking on their feet. While Ross Taylor played a phenomenal innings, testament to his rare talent, England totally lacked discipline or skill. James Anderson is far too erratic for Test cricket, and must immediately be dispensed with. Monty Panesar's downward curve continues; he is symptomatic of England's struggles when the opposition do something unexpected.

A damning indictement of this side is they have not learned from their feebleness in Hamilton, and have repeated all the same mistakes. The batting was abject once more. It is an oft-quoted statistic that all the top six average over 40, but those averages have been in decline for some time. Furthermore, the averages are boosted both by feasting on minnows and today's generally easier batting conditions. 40 is clearly no longer the mark of a top-class Test batsman. The batting lineup seems fundamentally flawed, and rejigging the pack cannot disguise it. Men of skill and desire, such as Owais Shah and Rob Key (and, given the desperation of the situation and the need to win the next game, rather than plan for some mythical date in the future, perhaps even Mark Ramprakash or his captain Mark Butcher, enjoying the purplest of patches), should be brought in, not just for the quality they possess but for the message it would send. The decision to drop Andrew Strauss and simultaneously hand him a new central contract was a half-hearted signal at best; and he got back in without making a run.

The skipper led by example, eeking out an agonising 133-ball 30. He often talks of helping his players "express themselves"; yet he himself was patently incapable of doing that. Ian Bell's innings surprised no one - a painstaking start followed by a somewhat half-hearted waft outside offstump.Paul Collingwood, for the second consecutive innings, looked out of his depth. He maximises his talent, certainly, but is painfully out-of-form - he has hit just 39 runs in seven innings this season - and, ultimately, is simply perhaps not good enough at Test level, whatever an Ashes double-hundred may suggest. The most depressing innings, however, was played by England's best batsman.

Kevin Pietersen has gradually gone from being a maverick, and a genius capable of decimating the bowling with his idiosyncratic brand of fearlessnes, into a man seemingly lacking faith in his own ability. The transformation was inevitable in some respects (as I have discussed before), and is not without its benefits. Maturity has brought some positive aspects, of course, but it is grim watching the contrast between him and Taylor, surely no more talented, on the same pitch in the same match.

This is, at last in part, an indictement of the England set-up. Are players so well-rewarded, that they are so desperate to cling onto their places that they are paralysed by fear? The culture appears to gradually suck the individuality out of players; they are spoon-fed by legions of support staff, and subsequently have lost the ability to think for themselves. This extends even to the captain and coach, who refrain from indulging in horses-for-courses of any sort - the merits of which were reaffirmed by O'Brien's sterling endeavours here. The stability of central contracts has clearly gone way too far: it appears easier to get into the side than out of it. What to do? Sack the lot of 'em? England need a shakeup of sorts, even if it has the whiff of '90s short-termism about it.

Preview: West Indies vs New Zealand

It's all happening with regards to this fixture. West Indies play for the third consecutive day, following the requirement of their reserve day against Australia and New Zealand are realing after an injury crisis. Brian Lara has played down the significance of playing over three days and he is right to. They have still played the same amount of cricket, it has just been less concentrated. The defeat against Australia will have been rather demoralising though and this game could decide the West Indies' future in this tournament. Should they lose, they may be leaving themselves with too much to do against sides like Sri Lanka and South Africa. They must improve their bowling performance and they do miss a top class front line spinner.

New Zealand meanwhile are going into the match with a much changed batting line-up. Peter Fulton has been promoted to opener following star fielder Lou Vincent's injury and Hamish Marshall is likely to come into the side at three for the recovering Ross Taylor. The bowling is uneffected, with Shane Bond, James Franklin, Daniel Vettori, Jacob Oram, Scott Styris and possibly Jeetan Patel, the main candidates. A lot will likely depend on the start for New Zealand. Fulton and Stephen Fleming are not known for their blistering strike rates and with Marshall not having played much cricket of late, a slow start could lead to mistakes and an increasing reliance on the middle order. This match should be keenly contested. A lot is riding on it, especially for the home side.

Prediction: Hard to call, New Zealand's injuries have opened the door for the Windies and they need the win more at this stage. Therefore, I'm going for the West Indies, by a narrow margin.

Players to watch: Ramnaresh Sarwan and Jacob Oram.

The Young Pretenders

With the World XI complete we now have an excellent idea of who exactly will be the main danger men at the World Cup. We now look at the up-and-coming youngsters in World cricket who are looking to make their mark in the Caribbean.

Mitchell Johnson (Australia)

At 25, Johnson is perhaps not quite so young, but he is fresh to international cricket after finally overcoming years of injury problems. Possibly the most hyped Australian bowler of the last decade, his fast left arm bowling style is in contrast to that of team mate Nathan Bracken, who is more of a swing bowler. Johnson of course accounted for Kevin Pietersen at the recent ICC Champions Trophy with a splendid one two set-up and he has also taken the prized wickets of Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar. Yet to play a Test match, 2007 is surely his breakthrough year. With an ODI average of 27.88 and strike rate of 31.38 at an economy of 5.33, he is a very promising package indeed.

Shahriar Nafees (Bangladesh)

A left handed opening batsman who debuted at the tender age of 19, he has quickly established himself as an international class player. Now 21, he is a typically aggressive batsman who is renowned for his audacious sweep shots. Averaging 33.50 in Test matches and 40.40 in ODI’s, he has a very bright future ahead of him, as he displayed in making his maiden Test match century against none other than Australia. Yet to score a century in ODI’s against one of the big boys, he will be looking to do precisely that in the Caribbean.

Liam Plunkett (England)

A surprise call up for the post-Ashes winter tours of Pakistan and India after injury to Chris Tremlett, Plunkett has gone from strength to strength, especially since the latest Ashes series. He is a typical Duncan Fletcher player, capable of fifties with the bat, good work in the field and of course, match winning spells of seam and swing bowling, at lively medium-fast pace. His 3-43 against Australia in the deciding second final of the recent CB series may just earn him a starting birth ahead of Jon Lewis. His Test batting average is nothing special at a mere 8.62, but his ODI average of 23.45 is indicative of a player who can bat. A Test bowling average of 37.56 and strike rate of 62.75 is proof that Plunkett is still learning, but in ODIs his performances have improved markedly and he is better than his average of 35.82, at a strike rate of 36.89, with a declining economy rate of 5.82 suggest. He has the potential to match Irfan Pathan’s best performances.

Shanthakumaran Sreesanth (India)

At just 24, he seems to have established himself as India’s best pace bowler. A very aggressive “in your face” type of bowler, he enjoys bowling controlled outswing at a good fast-medium pace. His Test match bowling average of 25.97 and strike rate of 46.18 provide early evidence of his class. Though he can be expensive at times, with an ODI economy rate of 5.75, he is also a wicket taker and will be key to India’s challenge in the West Indies. He is still developing as an ODI bowler, but an average of 36.11 and strike rate of 37.62 is still nothing to ashamed of. Also capable of the odd heave ho with the bat.

Ross Taylor (New Zealand)

At 23 Taylor looks to have established himself in the Kiwi middle order for a long time to come. An athletic fielder and handy off spinner, this aggressive young right handed middle order batsman is highly reminiscent of Kevin Pietersen, with his preference for leg side shots, which can be his downfall when the ball strikes his pads. However, his timing is such that this is a rare event and he is a powerful batsman who adds impetus to New Zealand’s top order, with lusty blows over deep mid-wicket a favourite. Averaging 39.93 in ODIs, including fantastic hundreds against the Aussies and Sri Lankans, a Test call will surely follow later in the year.

AB de Villiers (South Africa)

A real team player, A.B. seems to have been around for ages. Still only just turned 23, he has yet to settle down into a regular batting position. He currently opens in the ODI side, though he has also batted throughout the rest of the order in both ODI and Test match cricket. A wicket keeper batsman, he unsurprisingly makes a superb outfielder with his customary acrobatics. Whilst not yet spectacular, his batting averages of 35.14 in Tests and 34.00 in ODI’s are indicative of a man still searching for the position which he can make his own. Watch out for his aggressive style of batting, which in conjunction with Graeme Smiths', can be a real pleasure to behold.

Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka)

One of the “variety” bowlers within the varied Sri Lankan attack, his round-arm action can be extremely difficult for opposing batsmen to pick up, especially when the ball is spearing into their toes at 95mph. An exceptionally fast and aggressive bowler, a large number of his victims are bowled, because of his unique bowling style. He holds an ODI average of 26.97 and strike rate of 33.82, at a surprisingly low economy rate of 4.78 for a strike bowler. It is in Test cricket where his figures truly are remarkable for a 23 year old though. Possessing an average of 31.57, he has an outstanding strike rate of just 49.45. Quip “Malinga the slinger” at your peril.

Jerome Taylor (West Indies)

The spearhead of the West Indian attack at just 22, this genuinely fast bowler has a very bright future ahead of him. Though it took him two years to recover from being pushed into the Test team far too early, at just 18 years of age, he is now a much stronger character. His Test figures are recovering, with an average of 33.19 and strike rate of 57.61. He has though excelled in ODI’s, with a bowling average of 26.72 and strike rate of 32.83 at an economy of 4.88 and he already has an ODI hat-trick to his name against Australia in the recent ICC Champions Trophy. Possesses a deadly Yorker, which Darren Gough would be proud of.

Chris Pallett