Stunning is an overused word in cricket (you can blame Mark Nicholas for that), but England's turnaround against New Zealand in the second Test at Old Trafford was nothing short of stunning.

That they went from woeful to wonderful in the space of a couple of hours should not distract from the deep malaise that has infected this side.

Watching England's green attack being flogged all over Manchester by Ross Taylor was depressing but understandable. Stuart Broad is young, improving and may yet time his maturity perfectly, like Simon Jones did last time.

'Under pressure Ian Bell camouflages his languid natural gifts with a timid, poky and frankly hopeless alter ego'


Jimmy Anderson, however, suffers from a bowling schizophrenia that must drive all of England insane. You sense he shares all our frustrations when the ball disappears down fine leg for four, but like us, he just doesn't know how to make it better. If Andrew Flintoff can return, surely Anderson must give way; if not, then Chris Tremlett deserves a chance.

Yet it's England's middle order that brings back the chill of the '90s. We have all seen the talent but since the Adelaide horror show they have suffered from a collective paralysis. Despite Michael Vaughan’s repeated assurances that England “are ready to express themselves and play the sort of cricket they can”, they don’t.

Cricket is a fantastic sport because it offers a window into people’s minds. Confidence or lack of it is thrillingly visible to opposition and spectators alike. Under pressure Ian Bell camouflages his languid natural gifts with a timid, poky and frankly hopeless alter ego. Like Anderson, he seems on the cusp of breakthrough, but it's been four years and we’re still waiting for the match-turning hundred.

It is only Paul Collingwood’s shoulder that should save him from the selectors' axe. Collingwood is a determined team man, who unlike Bell appears to revel in pressure, but he is so painfully out of form that the selectors should waste no time in sending him to the operating table. Owais Shah’s confidence might be just what this middle order needs to shake into action - that and Kevin Pietersen to stop moaning about his IPL money.

If England are to make the transformation necessary to match the South Africans this summer, they should look no further than their captain.

In the first innings Vaughan, on the back of a century, was strokeless, digging himself and England into a deep hole from which they could see nothing but their own fears. In the second innings, he, like England had reformed and though Andrew Strauss rightly took the plaudits, it was Vaughan’s positive and purposeful outlook that set the tone.

The wicketkeeping position continues to hound England and should Flintoff ever return, the balance of the side will need addressing. Yet fundamentally, it’s the unwavering belief that separates the class of 2005 from this England team.