When England won the Ashes in 2005, a lot of us thought it was one of those quirks, like Deve Gowda becoming Prime Minister, that the world throws up from time to time; bizarre, improbable and, therefore, unlikely to be repeated. But by doing it again, England have demanded respect. Over five Test matches, enough to prove your worth undeniably, they have beaten a team that all of us were happy to acknowledge as the best in the world. It is a huge result for world cricket and one that England should build on.

Normally, England tend to set the record straight very quickly; they lose as soon as possible after winning, almost as if to ensure that they don’t have to carry the burden of being winners. 2005 was an excellent opportunity for them, it was probably the best team they had put out in a decade, if not more. They blew it and now will have to prove to the world that they can sustain the often difficult job of winning.

There are two things in their favour; a coach and a captain who seem level headed. From a distance Andrew Strauss seems a very impressive character. He is unassuming but there is clearly some steel there and neither he nor the always likeable Andy Flower have gone over the top over this win. I thought the most optimistic comment of all came from Flower, a mighty fine player in his time, when he said “No 1? We need to get to No 4 first!” It means he is visualising, not dreaming. England need that attitude for they have flirted with too many flashy personalities in recent times. Style is fine but it is a poor relative of solidity as many untrained singers and wannabe writers have discovered.

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