Although many have said that England played well against West Indies merely because the pressure was off, it was still incredibly exciting to witness such a thrilling, edge of your seat match. It was fantastic to see Michael Vaughan playing so well after watching his frustration at the crease this winter, but as a Leicestershire fan there were two unforgettable memories: Paul Nixon smashing three fours in four balls and Stuart Broad’s last minute pair of runs to bring the game home. As a cricket fan in general, it was heart-breaking to see Brian Lara’s final turn at bat go so badly, but heart-warming to see the accolades from players and fans alike, in recognition of his genius and his outstanding contribution to the game.

England, having failed to qualify for the semi-finals, finish their World Cup efforts in fifth place, yet another sad blow for a struggling team after allowing Australia to regain the Ashes this winter. There have been moments of brilliance throughout this international season, but those moments have often been fleeting and too far between. Despite solid performances at various times by Collingwood, Pietersen, Flintoff, Bopara, Panesar, and others, England has continuously lacked cohesion at precisely all of the wrong times. Still, as a dear friend wrote to me, “it’s ironic that despite under-performing, England were involved in three of about only five good games in the tournament”.

Currently the news is filled with the pre-match resignation of Duncan Fletcher, the whirlwind hiring of Peter Moores, and the inevitable chorus of fans crying that England failed to deliver appropriate performance value for monies earned. There seem to be a lot more negative statements than positive, and everyone has their own idea how to turn England’s performance problems around. Iâ?(tm)ve said before that thereâ?(tm)s no magic formula, unless you can find a way to prevent injuries, negate emotional stress, and turn players into refined machinery – which is perhaps why everyone is so keen to find out what Moores has in mind.

In the meantime, players have been released to their counties until England return to the field for a test match against the Windies beginning May 17th at Lord’s. It will be a nice break to follow the players in their county matches (Flintoff and Pietersen will find themselves squaring off against each other), and it will take a little of the edge off waiting to see who will be named for the test in May. For my part, Iâ?(tm)m going to try to avoid the endless criticism, strategic second-guessing and team-bashing, and simply enjoy the cricket.