The actions of these three could, potentially, cost cricket millions in lost sponsorship revenue.

Pepsi, the cola drink manufacturer that is the title sponsor of the Pakistan team, has a deal with the Pakistani Cricket Board lasting until 2013. Pakistan was identified by Pepsi as an emerging market and, therefore, worth pouring millions of dollars each year into. Such is cricket’s standing in the country that Pepsi is visible to pretty well everyone in Pakistan.

No one is suggesting that supporters of Pakistani cricket will stop drinking Pepsi as a result of the allegations made in last Sunday’s News of the World, but there is only so much bad publicity that a title sponsor will put up with.

Boom Boom, the manufacturer’s of Pakistan’s cricketing apparel has already moved to distance itself from the three players at the heart of the storm; Test captain Salman Butt and seam bowling duo Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir.

This stance is likely to be indicative of that adopted by cricket sponsors around the world. No one wants to be associated with a sullied reputation. Look at what happened to Tiger Woods last year. Whilst he retained many of his army of sponsors, many washed their hands of him. And he hadn’t cheated the game of golf.

Butt, Asif and Amir, if they do come back from this scandal, will find it incredibly tough to find personal endorsement deals. Even if found innocent, there is such a ring of suspicion around the trio – throw enough mud and some will stick.

As for the game at large it has been suggested in some circles that even the International Cricket Council could be hit by a lack of interest from sponsors as a direct result of this current scandal. The ICC enjoys partnerships with companies such as Yahoo! and Pepsi. I find it very difficult to imagine that they will simply walk away from cricket altogether.

These companies are in cricket for a reason – to market their products to a specific demographic that cricket can offer them. Followers of the game have sat through scandals before and are unlikely to switch off as a result of one bout of spot-fixing. The real fear lies in the thought that this is a cancer that has spread throughout the sub-continent and out into the wider cricketing world.

Whilst the current scenario is far from deal, the whole world has at least one eye on cricket right now. It’s front page news wherever you look. Whilst the sport would undoubtedly prefer to be enjoying such status for entirely different reasons, is there such a thing as bad publicity?

Scandal piques the interest. With no one accusing the sponsors even for a moment of any wrongdoing, is now not an ideal to be involved in the sport?

If the ICC can root out the wider problem and take swift and efficient action, cricket’s standing could even rise. There is huge potential for this scenario to become positive. Those in charge have the future of the game in their hands.

Until such a time that these current allegations are proven it is difficult to know how sponsors will react. If these allegations are proven and Pakistan’s opening batsman Yasir Hameed, is proven right in his comments about the entire Pakistan team throwing games for money, then there is a huge problem and the game’s standing will undoubtedly fall and sponsors will walk away.

Until then, however, all talk of sponsors walking away is just speculation and scaremongering. The game’s standing will rise and fall with its participants, but if this is an isolated incident the actions of such a minority shouldn’t blemish the rest of the game and its participants. Cricket will be praying that this is, however, an isolated incident.

By Miles Reucroft

Kevin Pietersen has been dropped from the England limited overs sides following his woeful perfromances in the Test matches against Pakistan. It was his worst showing as an international cricketer.

Kevin Pietersen found the going so tough that he has been dropped for the following two Twenty20 matches and five ODIs. He will instead be trying to find some form whilst on loan at Surrey from Hampshire for the remainder of the 2010 county season.

England will be hoping that a spell back in county cricket will assist Pietersen in finding form ahead of the Ashes. Put simply, he was possibly the worst of the England performers in this series. It was a tough title to claim at times.

ENGLAND PLAYER RATINGS

Andrew Strauss – 155 runs @ 25.83 – 5/10
Strauss didn’t have the best of times and we are still waiting for another Test century from the English skipper. He is, however, clearly a safe pair of hands to guide the team and it wasn’t an easy series for an opening batsman.

Alastair Cook – 167 runs @ 23.85 – 4/10
Came under the most intense scrutiny of his international career. A fortuitous century at the Oval helped, but his technique and confidence looked shot at times.

Jonathan Trott – 404 runs @ 67.33 – 9/10
Given the conditions, Trott had a superb series. His century at Lord’s was his best innings in an England shirt and he appears to be a rock at the previously troublesome number three position.

Kevin Pietersen – 140 runs @ 23.33 – 3/10
Short of form, short of confidence and short of runs. His 80 at Edgbaston owed far more to Pakistan’s woeful fielding than it did to KP’s dominance over the bowling. His worst showing in international cricket.

Paul Collingwood – 119 runs @ 19.83 – 4/10
There were times when England could have used Brigadier Block, but Collingwood couldn’t summon his previous innings-savings performances for England. Then again, he didn’t really need to.

Eoin Morgan – 175 @ 29.16 – 6/10
A wonderful maiden Test century in the first Test at Trent Bridge, Morgan didn’t push on from there. Will surely be replaced by a fit Ian Bell and is no closer to suggesting whether or not he is suited to the Test format.

Matt Prior – 234 runs @ 58.50 – 8/10
It is clear that Matt Prior has a come long way in international cricket. His glove work was sound, his batting efficient. He was always on hand to lend some middle order runs and look adept at batting with the tail end.

Graeme Swann – 48 runs @ 8.00 & 22 wickets @ 12.22 – 9/10
What can you say? Swann is one of the top performers on the world stage right now. In a series dominated by seam bowling, Swann’s off-spin still proved to be utterly indispensible to England.

Staurt Broad – 250 runs @ 41.66 & 14 wickets @ 23.35 – 7/10
Looking like an ever dependable bowler, Broad had his finest hour with the bat, reaching a maiden Test century at Lord’s. His temperament let him down embarrassingly at Edgbaston and he must curb this aspect of his game to take the next step up as a bowler.

James Anderson – 23 wickets @ 13.73 – 8/10
King of the Swingers, Anderson was a constant thorn in Pakistan’s side and played the conditions with aplomb. Questions will be asked in the run-up to the Ashes about how he will handle the Kookaburra ball, but you can only play what’s in front of you and Anderson ruined the Pakistani top order.

Steven Finn – 13 wickets @ 22.92 – 7/10
Finn is continuing his development and has undoubtedly been the find of this English summer. He never looked panicked on the rare occasions that the Pakistan batsmen found some form and he will be benefit from being in the same attack as Anderson.

We have decided not to review the Pakistan performances in light of the fact that, aside from being terrible at times, the spot-fixing allegations cast a doubt over the sincerity of their performances. If indeed Asif and Amir are to be found guilty of spot-fixing, it can only make you wonder how good they could have been had their minds been solely focussed upon taking English wickets. Amir’s six wicket haul at Lord’s was arguably the performance of the series, if not one of the best performances ever witnessed at the home of cricket.

By Miles Reucroft

It is a deeply saddening thought that, as a result of his involvement with illegal bookmakers, we may never see Mohammad Amir in international cricket ever again following his devestating bursts and Man of the Series performances on Pakistan's tour of England.

The overriding sensation is one of deep frustration – frustration that this can happen right under our noses at the home of cricket. And in such circumstances! Pakistan were well on top of England when the offences took place, the deliberate bowling of three no-balls; one from Mohammad Asif and two from Mohammad Amir.

The evidence is pretty damning. The two no-balls from Amir were huge. He had over stepped by nearly a foot. The deliveries were suspicious in their own right as he was in the middle of bowling one of the most destructive and masterful spells that Lord’s has witnessed. How can someone go from such fluency and accuracy to over stepping by such a margin, not once but twice? There were otherwise no indications from the 18 year old that he was struggling with his run up.

Mohammad Asif, however, bowled his no-ball with unerring accuracy, only just overstepping to deliver an innocuous looking no-ball. The obvious question from this, is, has he done it before? It was the perfect no-ball to order.

Asif is no stranger to controversy. Two failed drugs tests, an arrest at Dubai airport for having a ‘white powder’ in his wallet and a much publicised training ground bust up with the equally inconsistent Shoaib Akhtar. Such was the extent of their argument that Akhtar took a bat to Asif.

That Asif has once more courted controversy should come as no surprise.

The names of Salman Butt and Kamran Akmal are also linked to this sorry episode. Butt has received frequent praise for his dignified captaincy of Pakistan during what has been a tough tour for the visitors. How much of his poor form has just been down to the pressure of captaincy? It’s a question that will be asked, but would never have entered anyone’s mind prior to the fourth Test at Lord’s.

And Akmal – he of the Teflon gloves. There are many, many questions to be asked about his performances. Rubbish behind the stumps with the odd moment of brilliance; rubbish with the bat all tour. His performances during that tour of Australia will once more come under the microscope, particularly his four dropped catches in Sydney.

If found guilty of these alleged spot-fixing offences, all four will most likely face lifetime bans from the International Cricket Council, of not the Pakistan Cricket Board.

It is for Amir, however, that the cricketing world will mourn most. It’s a terrifying and saddening prospect that the final act in the talented left-armers career could have been that spell at Lord’s on Friday, when he blew away England’s middle order with the guile and panache of a seasoned pro 10 years his senior. This could be the end of the road for the youngster. And to think what he could achieve at the highest level.

This isn’t about the further damage to Pakistan’s already sullied reputation. They are only ever consistent in making fools of themselves. This is about the tarnished reputation of sport. As fans we pay our hard earned money to see both sides give nothing than 100%, 100% of the time. To witness anything else is a debacle. And to witness anything else because the participants are gaining financially is to not only defraud the fans, not only defraud cricket, but to defraud sport as a whole.

If the allegations are found to be true, we will be permanently deprived of the talents of Mohammad Amir. That is a deeply upsetting notion. We will never see Mohammad Asif’s nagging accuracy and ability to make a ball talk off the pitch. We will never see Salman Butt strut his stuff at the top of the order. We will never see the erratic glove work of Akmal again. Even if he’s found not guilty.

This hugely defrauds cricket.

With the amount of money wagered on cricket matches it is no surprise that players fall foul of temptation. A Pakistan central contract is only worth around £25,000 per annum. England players on similar deals earn anywhere between £150,000 and £400,000 per annum. MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar earn around £7,000,000 per annum.

With no Pakistan players chosen for the Indian Premier League due to bad blood between the nations, fewer games being organised with Pakistan as a direct result of the attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore and less revenue being generated by the PCB, the players are increasingly earning less. The temptation of the cash on offer from illegal betting syndicates is, to a lad from an impoverished upbringing such as Amir, often simply too good to refuse.

The deepest cause for concern is the thought that this really is only the tip of the iceberg. This could only be the beginning and we could well have seen the last of Mohammad Amir. That is already too higher a price to have paid.

By Miles Reucroft

Lord's will host the fourth Test between England and Pakistan - the last Test of this English summer

Funny how things can turn around so quickly, isn’t it? Having won the toss at the Oval, Strauss must have thought to himself that here was a golden opportunity to get in some decent batting practice against a good bowling unit.

The Oval usually provides a batsman friendly surface and Strauss clearly felt that, even under cloud-leaden skies, the third Test would prove no different.

And so the series, from nowhere, is wide open again. The reintroduction of Mohammad Yousuf to Pakistan’s middle order steadied their shaky ship and a four-wicket victory was sealed on the fourth day. We head into the fourth Test, the last of this English summer, with the distinct possibility that Pakistan could pull off one of the most remarkable about turns in fortune.

Except, with Pakistan, what is remarkable? The line between normality and crazy is blurred into one big cloud when talk turns to Pakistan cricket. We know they’ve got world class players. Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif have been a handful with the ball all summer. The introduction of Saeed Ajaml and his un-pickable (at least to the English batsmen) doosra brought a flurry of wickets at Edgbaston, if not enough to drag Pakistan back into that Test.

Mohammad Yousuf has smeared English bowling attacks in the recent past. Wahab Riaz bowled with panache at the Oval in place of the injured Umar Gul. This isn’t a poor Test team cut from the same cloth as perennial whipping boys Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.

Yet that is the problem with Pakistan. One minute they can be truly awful and perform well below themselves and the next they can rouse themselves to bring about a victory from nowhere.

Consistency. Pakistan just wouldn’t be Pakistan if they had that. So predicting a result in the fourth Test of this series is nigh on impossible without seeing which Pakistan have turned up. We might not be able to tell until the second day!

I fancy England to spring back with a win. Alastair Cook lifted the weight from his shoulders with a fortuitous (there are no pictures in the scorebook, mind) 110 at the Oval and the rest of the batting could now also use some use some runs, notably Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood.

Neither has the noose hung round his neck but it would be a timely reminder of their ability if they could carve out a decent score each at Lord’s. The English bowling remains in full swing and this should tip the balance of the game in England’s favour. Whilst Pakistan were vastly improved at the Oval, theirs is still a young, developing side. It would be a huge ask for them to level the series. Too huge, surely…

By Miles Reucroft

The return of Mohammad Yousuf cannot be overestimated in the reversal of Pakistan's fortunes at the Oval

Yousuf added class, runs and assurance to Pakistan’s middle-order at the Oval, even if his fielding was as wayward as that of some of his team mates. He looked in control off front and back foot and highlighted his talent with a magnificent late-cut of Steven Finn in Pakistan’s first innings, waiting for the ball to arrive to him before angling it away down to third man for four.

He also brought a bit of patience to proceedings. Prior to his arrival the Pakistan batsmen had look hurried at the crease, thrusting forward with hard and excited hands at the ball. Yousuf brought some control and played a huge part in Azhir Ali’s first innings half century.

In the second innings, with Pakistan chasing 148 for victory, Yousuf played his hand in restoring calm to the Pakistan side – this was a total that they have collapsed in the face of in the recent past. The scars of Sydney are still very much visible, even if the return of Yousuf is evidence of their healing.

On a turning pitch Yousuf played Graeme Swann masterfully, waiting and waiting for the ball to play a range of delicious late cut shots behind square on the off-side. His presence also calmed captain Butt, who fought his way to 48 second-innings runs following a miserable tour thus far.

Once James Anderson had removed Yousuf with a now typical full away-swinging delivery that removed his off-stump, the old Pakistani frailties threatened to once more return.

Yet there was something a little bit different about the Pakistan side that turned up at the Oval. The side that showed up at Trent Bridge and Edgbaston, only to be rolled over in conclusive fashion wasn’t on display.

The new Pakistan held its nerve to claim victory by four wickets and drag itself back into this four-match series. Even Umar Akmal refused to play wild swipes and instead dug in and showed some resolve.

Whilst Butt has undoubtedly looks a good choice as replacement for Shaid Afridi as captain, he was leading a side packed with youthful exuberance and next to no knowledge of what was required to compile a Test innings, let alone play a swinging ball. In terms of exerting a calming influence over the Pakistan batting line-up, the return of Mohammad Yousuf cannot be overstated.

From nowhere, Pakistan are back in this series. Yousuf was exactly what this series needed and practice of pressure situations is exactly what England need. This series has been transformed from a nigh on certain whitewash in favour of the hosts to having a thrilling and fascinating climax in store at Lord’s, starting this Thursday.

By Miles Reucroft

Mohammed Yousuf and his impressive beard returned to international cricket at the Oval

The poor form of Alastair Cook at the top of England’s order would have given Pakistan some hope at the start. He duly obliged them, edging his third ball through the slip cordon for four, picking up another scratchy shot for two before snicking one from Mohammad Asif through to the unreliable gloves of Kamran Akmal. Thankfully for Asif and Pakistan, Akmal held on.

Strauss and Jonathan Trott briefly rallied but both soon fell in quick succession, exposing the out of form Kevin Pietersen and the dogged Paul Collingwood. Pietersen hung around to face 29 balls for his six, Collingwood came and went for five. Pakistan were all over England and, surprisingly and refreshingly, holding every chance that came their way.

Eoin Morgan dug in to accumulate 17 after lunch and Graeme Swann, his cat freed from the floorboards in the Swann household, went for eight. They were the only two wickets to tumble in the afternoon session.

Matt Prior is one England batsman playing at the top of his game. Together with Stuart Broad, a player who has so far failed to live up to his early offerings with the bat, he played his shots to free England from a bad situation at 94/7. 119 runs later the situation wasn’t quite so desperate.

Once Broad departed James Anderson followed, as did Steven Finn, leaving Prior as the not-out batsman on 84, England eventually reaching 233.

The bowling stars of the summer for Pakistan had been Mohammads Amir and Asif as well as Saeed Ajmal who claimed a five-for at Edgbaston. At the Oval on Day One it was the turn of debutant left-arm seamer Wahab Riaz to take the plaudits with an impressive five wickets for 63 runs.

Whilst the bowling talent on display in the Pakistan ranks hasn’t been questioned, the batting has. Captain Salman Butt demoted himself to number three in the order and left Imran Farhart and Yasir Hameed to face the new ball music.

They battled through under sunny skies until Farhart went for an ill-advised drive off Anderson in the final over, succeeding only in getting an inside edge onto his off stump. Back to Wahab to enter the fray as night watchman.

The story off the day was painted almost entirely by the atmospheric conditions. With leaden skies the Pakistani bowlers looked often unplayable, yet Prior and Broad were able to bat comfortably through the afternoon session as the clouds dispersed and the sun donned his hat. The English bowlers, too, looked far from their swinging best without the clouds. With the forecast for Day Two looking like throwing up sunshine for the majority, Pakistan could well have a golden opportunity to drag themselves off the canvas and back into this four Test series.

Whether or not their much maligned batting line-up – now including the recently banned Mohammed Yousuf – can stand the pressure and put Pakistan in command remains to be seen. It’s high time they supported their world class bowling unit with some runs. Day Two will be enthralling at the very least.

By Miles Reucroft

Alastair Cook could do with raising his bat to celebrate a 13th Test century to boost his morale and answer his growing number of critics.

It is all well and good pointing out the obvious – Alastair Cook is out of form and short on confidence – but what do we propose as a solution? If the selectors decided to bring down the axe, who could they replace Cook with?

I’m no fan of dropping players on the back of a poor run of form. Cook has played in 58 Tests for England and amassed 4238 runs at an average of 42.80 with 12 centuries along the way. He has clearly demonstrated his class but is just enduring a torrid time of things right now.

That said it would probably not be the worst idea if England were to use the final two Test matches of this English summer to take a look at another option at the top of the order in case Cook’s poor run continues on into the winter and the Ashes defence.

One option would be for Cook to swap places in the order with Jonathan Trott. This option would allow Cook to retain his place in his side whilst at the same time allowing the selectors a look at how Trott copes with an opening berth in Tests. If he succeeds then he would be an easy option to replace Cook this winter if needs must.

Trott has enjoyed an excellent start to his Test career with a century on debut in the Ashes clinching victory at The Oval last summer and has since gone on to score 923 runs at an average of 51.27 with another century to boot. This summer, due to Cook’s struggles, he has consistently been coming in early to try and resuscitate England’s starts alongside Strauss.

Trott looks to have the temperament to be a good opening bat for England and he certainly has the patience to see a job through. He is the only obvious candidate within the current England squad who could replace Cook.

Outside of the squad, who else is there? Hampshire’s Michael Carberry was handed his Test debut in Bangladesh this winter but didn’t exactly set the world alight. This recent inclusion shows that he is on the England radar and he averages a thoroughly respectable 52.85 in First Class cricket.

Adam Lyth of Yorkshire is the other obvious candidate in County cricket right now. The diminutive left-hander is in great form, sitting atop the run scoring table in Division One with 1221 runs at 58.61 in 2010. His overall First Class average sits at 55.27.

That Lyth possesses genuine potential is not in doubt and he is a player who likes to get after the new ball to score his runs. Would the timing be right for him to be thrust into the Test side against a bowling attack that has been a constant thorn in England’s side so far this summer? It would certainly be a baptism of fire.

In all likelihood Lyth will have to wait another year or so at least before international honours come knocking. Carberry, too, may have his recent assertion that he won’t extend his Test career beyond a single cap proved correct – at least for this year. Trott will probably remain at number three for the rest of the Pakistan series and beyond.

For the selectors to drop Cook now would be a monumental decision. He has clearly been earmarked for captaincy later on in life and he has shown time and time again that he is a world class operator, even if he doesn’t always exude the classy, dominating demeanour of a Virender Sehwag or his opening partner Strauss.

Cook is just struggling right now. Form is temporary, class is permanent, right? It may be comforting to know that there are other options available to England and it may prove to be this knowledge that focuses Cook mind round to scoring a few belligerent runs before the team travels Down Under.

By Miles Reucroft

James Anderson returned match figures of 11/71 in the first Test against Pakistan

The big positive for the visitors was undoubtedly their bowling. Mohammed Asif took five wickets in England’s first innings and in tandem with Mohammed Aamer Pakistan look to have two genuinely threatening seam bowlers. Aamer impressed against Australia earlier this summer and, aged just 18, is certainly one who posses the requisite talent to make a massive impact upon the highest level of the game for many years to come.

Umar Gul looked threatening in patches but is far happier operating in the shorter versions of the game. His 65 not out in Pakistan’s first innings was their only highlight in the batting department. They were terrible and failed to come to terms with traditional conditions.

For England, there were three key batting performances. Eoin Morgan celebrated his maiden Test ton in only his third game at this level and Matt Prior put to bed (for the rest of this series at least) any talk of him being replaced with an unbeaten century in England’s second innings. Paul Collingwood, despite falling short of three figures, was instrumental to Morgan’s success and their 200-plus run partnership in the first innings took the sting out of Pakistan’s potent attack.

On a more worrying note for England were the performances of Kevin Pietersen and Alastair Cook. Both have struggled for form of late but it is perhaps a bit harsh to judge them on this game. They faced an in form bowling attack that was coming into this fixture having routed Australia at Headingley and was looking to take advantage of the early movement and classic bowling conditions.

Both have proven themselves to be world class operators on their day and will be desperate for runs in the remaining three games. Edgbaston, venue for the second Test on Friday, certainly has happy memories for Pietersen and the track there should provide both with the chance to showcase their talent.

England will not be able to take the threat posed by Pakistan any more lightly after this comprehensive win. Salman Butt, in keeping with the true experience of being captain of Pakistan, has gone from the euphoria of an impressive victory over Australia to the despair of a crushing defeat by England. What next?

It seems unlikely that, by Friday, Pakistan and their batting line-up will have learnt to play Test cricket. The middle order of Azhir Ali, Umar Amin and Umar Akmal must adapt quickly to the very specific demands of building a Test innings. The call up of Mohammed Yousuf for the second Test will add some much needed experience to their ranks. That life ban did exactly what it said on the tin…

Danish Kaneria has been dropped from the squad after a poor performance at Trent Bridge but faith has been kept in Kamran Akmal, the wicket keeper who looked as though he had previously been convicted of shop lifting in Saudi Arabia at times during the first Test.

Consistency would help Pakistan’s cause as the young squad faces up to the tough realities of Test cricket but level headed decision making has never been on the agenda at the PCB. That said, what price a Pakistan win in Birmingham? If any team can lurch from ruins to victory (and back again), it’s Pakistan.

By Miles Reucroft

Ricky Ponting wasn't looking, or feeling, this smug after another shocking decision having won the toss - his side was dismissed for 88 by Pakistan.

The Headingley Test of 2010. Australia had just hammered Pakistan at Lord’s and Ricky Ponting won the toss. A cracked pitch with conditions seemingly in favour of the bowlers. Ponting chose to bat.

Whilst the 2005 Edgbaston Test went famously down to the wire after England made a complete mockery of Ponting’s decision, Pakistan blitzed Australia for 88.

Tim Paine top scored with 17. Extras, that usually forgotten 12th man, chipped in with a handsome eight runs. Ponting himself continued his poor form with an uneasily constructed innings of six runs. Is this the beginning of the end for the Australian captain?

There are only 120-odd days until the first Ashes Test in Brisbane and Ponting’s star is visibly on the wane. Once formidable against short pitched bowling, he now looks vulnerable. Once assured in his decision making, he now appears to stutter.

Should his Australian team fail to win back the Ashes this winter then Ponting will surely be ousted as skipper. Decisions such as those made at Edgbaston and Headingley will do nothing to assist his cause.

For the rest of the cricketing world there will surely not be a great deal of sympathy for Australia or Ponting. Questions have always hung over his tenure and it has been with envious eyes that the rest of the world has watched its finest try to compete with teams boasting totemic figures such as McGrath, Warne, Waugh, Ponting himself, Gilchrist et al.

They have enjoyed such a lengthy tenure at the top of cricket’s world order, and not always with the grace and good manner of worthy champions, that now the time for change is obvious many will witness with it with a wry smile.

The sight of a Pakistan team still reeling from recent events at board and captaincy level rolling the Aussies over for a meagre 88 inside the first two sessions of the second Test will have brought a great ear-to-ear grin on many a Yorkshireman’s face at Headingley – and not just those with Pakistani origins.

By Miles Reucroft

Eoin Morgan has continued to shine in England's middle order

Perhaps the most alarming development for England’s Ashes hopes at the end of the year was the stunning re-emergence of Shaun Tait at Lord’s. Having been recalled into the Australian side following a foot injury sustained by off-spinner Nathan Hauritz, Tait had a quiet but economical time at The Oval in the fourth fixture, but burst into life in the fifth and final game. His time in County Cricket with Glamorgan has clearly done him no harm.

It wasn’t so much his match winning spell of 4-48 that will bother England, but rather the lasting memory of his terrifying pace that accounted for Andrew Strauss, Michael Yardy and Paul Collingwood, all clean bowled, as well as Graeme Swann caught. There is nothing more electric than a sustained spell of all-out pace and Tait tipped the speed gun into three-figures at one stage of his destructive spell.

The memory of this will endure until the winter and should Tait stay fit he will surely feature in the Ashes series. As for further indicators ahead of that series it is difficult to judge. England were well on top to begin with before Australia swung the pendulum of control back in their direction during England’s third and final victory at Old Trafford. That England escaped with a victory there after a late collapse gave them a series that would otherwise have gone to Australia.

Eoin Morgan continued to shine in his role as England’s middle order anchor and Kevin Pietersen’s form was a talking point, as was that of visiting skipper Ricky Ponting. Both sides now face Test and ODI and Twenty20 games against Pakistan before all eyes will be firmly set upon the first Ashes Test in Brisbane.

By Miles Reucroft