mvaughan

I don't really like being asked to compare this England side with that of other eras. The quality of the opposition changes, the players change, pitches change, the role of technology in the game changes and even the way the game is played is somewhat different. Who would have thought ten or fifteen years ago we'd have Test matches where for large parts of the game batsmen are scoring at four an over for example?

My side of 2005 was an outstanding team full of really talented players and very strong characters. We weren't able to go on and successfully defend the Ashes in 2006-7 because of a number of factors, not least a bad run of injuries. In general terms, we didn't really build on that as many hoped we would after that outstanding 2005 success but it should never be forgotten that we beat one of the greatest Test sides to have played the game. It was certainly the 'team of a generation'. Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Damien Martyn, Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden - the list goes on and on - they were all there.

With all due respect to the English class of 2008-10, the Aussie side at the moment is a shadow of the team we were up against so rather than discuss whether my team would have beaten Andrew Strauss', it's a more productive task to consider to what extent this current team is going to kick on from here.

One of their main priorities will be to top the Test rankings, something they are more than capable of. As part of that process they will also need to beat India and South Africa away from home as it is these two teams and not Australia who present the greatest challenge in Test cricket at the moment. And if we're looking away from the longer format, England have to be looking at winning the World Cup in a couple of months' time as their next big target. They've done the business when it comes to T20 so there's no reason why they can't come top of the class in the 50-over format too.

One of the big things England have got going for them right now is options. Paul Collingwood may have played his last match for England, he may retire from Test cricket but play limited-overs matches or he may well play in all formats for a couple more years, we'll have to wait and see. What we do know is that there are plenty of other players knocking on the door. Eoin Morgan is an outstanding talent, Adil Rashid continues to impress for Yorkshire and if you follow county cricket you'll know there are plenty of other bright young prospects who the Selectors will be looking at.

Lastly, a word on Kevin Pietersen. Kev's a great guy and a wonderful player who has played a big part not just in this Ashes success but in all of England's recent successes. That said, I don't think there was any need for him to bring up the old issue of Peter Moores or his own short spell as captain as some sort of reason for why England are going through a purple patch right now. That's all in the past now and there are dozens of people both on the pitch and off it who have played an extremely significant role in getting English cricket to where it is right now so I don't see why individuals should be putting their hand up and taking credit for how well England are playing at present. This is an exciting time to be an England cricket fan and an England cricketer so KP should just worry about doing what he does best and that's scoring plenty of runs.


Read Michael Vaughan’s opinions by visiting http://betting.betfair.com/cricket/ashes-betting/