England crush sorry Windies

England beat the West Indies by a record margin to win the second Test at Headingley and go one up in the series. On a bitterly cold day with constant stop starts for rain, it was only a question of time before the Windies meekly surrendered.

It was a sad state of affairs to witness a turn around in the fortunes of a team that had once sent shivers down the spine of their opponents. England, more than often during their reign as world beaters, suffered crushing defeats by the Windies in their own back yard. This team was a shadow of that all conquering team, depleted by injuries to its star performers who have experience in these conditions. Most of the team have not experienced these conditions and were simply lambs to the slaughter. The swinging, moving bowl is not something that the batsmen would have faced in the dry, flat wickets back home. The impressive Dwayne Bravo was the only player who stood out from the rest with an entertaining half century.

Ryan Sidebottom made the difference in the bowling attack for England with his accurate line and length and swing. He used the conditions perfectly and showed the benefit of someone who has perfected his trade in the gruelling County circuit. Harmison and Plunket were still wayward and would do well to follow his lead in being more disciplined. Harmison showed signs of his old self with pace and aggression at the end but still has a way to go.

England did well with their captain Michael Vaughan returning to Tests after a long absence with a classy century and the other batters showing good form, with Pietersen, man of the match, simply outstanding. They have to keep on improving as they are likely to face much tougher oppositon, where they are likely to face a much sterner test but they did what they had to do well.

As for the Windies, they have to dig deep and try and get as much out of this tour as they can. They will wait to see if their captain Sarwan will take any part in the rest of the series and call replacements if required. There is talent in the team, it just needs to be harnessed with more disciplined and consistent performances.