England player ratings

Marks out of 10 for the World Cup squad:

Michael Vaughan 3: Looked alright to begin with, against New Zealand and Canada, but failed to capitalise on starts in both of those two games and paid the price as the tournament went on, with his batting form receding to a point where he was able to do little more than block out the South African bowlers. Finally reminded us of his ability when he cut loose against the West Indies, but by then it was too late. There was also scant evidence of his fabled captaincy ability, although he was not helped by his bowlers, who were under-par. Having worked so hard to recover from his chronic knee problem, and aware as he is of the undermining nature of splitting the captaincy, he will be unwilling to give it away voluntarily, but it seems now that the decision may be out of his hands.

Ed Joyce 4: Runs against Kenya and Canada, but when tested by the better attacks, he struggled, showing both indiscretion outside his off-stump and an inability to force the pace during the powerplay overs. Discarded midway through for Strauss, he may have set back his international chances, although he was not helped by being made to open and fill the boots of Trescothick, a position and role ill suited to his silky strokeplay which was only sporadically displayed, removed from its natural home in the middle-order.

Ian Bell 5.5: Criticised for his slow scoring early on, he nevertheless made runs, while the rest of the top order crumbled around him. When moved up to open in lieu of Joyce, he showed his shot-playing ability, teeing off against McGrath in particular on the way to an enterprising 77. Possibly his best one-day innings to date, he did give it away needlessly and from then on did not register, his part in the dirge against South Africa especially disappointing. Axed for the last match, he lost his record as the only England player to have played every match over the whole winter, but there were glimpses of a future in the one-day game.

Andrew Strauss 3: Left out to begin with, he was given the unenviable task of making his World-Cup bow against the Australians, and got out cheaply despite looking good, a trend that continued for the remainder, although he alone was exempt from criticism in the South Africa debacle. Yet to recover from the heavy working over the Australians gave him, he will need a successful spell in county cricket to get back on track, although it appears that his future now lies in the longer form of the game.

Kevin Pietersen 8: Generally in good form, he showed touches of his best, notably in his half-century against Sri Lanka, and his first 50 runs against the Australians. Only really broke loose in the final game, notching his first century in a winning cause and showing how dangerous he can be when a platform is laid for him. Still, he still continued to give it away when set, one century coming courtesy of a dropped catch by Hayden . Needs to show more precision in his leg-side play, as he was caught by midwicket several times from lazy flicks, and must re-assess the way he plays when he is past 50. Even so, his superiority over the rest of the English batsmen in ODIs is painfully obvious as ever.

Paul Collingwood 6: Continued his purple patch from the end of the Australian tour as he proved the linchpin of the batting in early stages, some timely and well paced innings saving England from embarrassment against the minnows. He will probably be a bit disappointed with his contribution at the business end of the tournament, missing out against both Sri Lanka and Australia. His bowling showed up well on the slower pitches, and he showed the ability to recover from early tap. Also took a catch which was exceptional, even by his sky-high standards, against the West Indies and his name remains one of the few indelibly inked in on England's one-day teamsheet.

Andrew Flintoff 5: As was the case for much of the winter, the bowling was there and thereabouts, although somewhere short of his best, while his batting was horrible. Generally economical with the ball, he was not enough of a wicket-taking threat other than in the death overs, where he is now master. Coming in at 6, on generally slow pitches, his weakness against spin was exposed, while he appears to have lost confidence when facing seam bowling. A streaky, slogged fifty was what he needed, but it never materialised, and he needs to have a big summer with the bat to dispel notions that his days as a genuine all-rounder are over.

Ravi Bopara 6: Announced himself with a brave and resourceful maiden half-century, so nearly taking England over the line against Sri Lanka. Not much chance to make an impact thereafter, although he looked good when batting at 3 before being run out in the final dead rubber. His bowling was very underused, and he had no chance to build on a two wicket spell against Canada, against whom he played in place of the banned Flintoff. One match was enough to convince the selectors that he was worth his place ahead of Jamie Dalrymple, and he could be a fixture for some years to come.

Jamie Dalrymple 2: Lost form during the CB series in Australia, and didn't do anything when he was given the nod initially; his bowling, economical during his performances last summer, was taken apart, and he could no longer be relied on for 10 overs. The batting also fell away, and a token selection against the West Indies may well be his last, as he could prove to be an anonymous casualty of a disastrous campaign.

Paul Nixon 6: His mouth was credited for helping to pick-up England and inspire them to the CB series victory in Australia. Mercifully, he let his bat do most of the talking in the Caribbean, with useful cameos in almost every innings which justified his selection, capped by a match-winning surge against West Indies. Deserved his international break after a long county career, but it would be the wrong move to retain him this summer.

Sajid Mahmood 3: Didn't really do much to justify his initial promotion ahead of Liam Plunkett, and even less thereafter, with his usual diet of wides and slower balls feasted on by the better players, although he did creditably against Sri Lanka. He has the potential, but is not yet reliable enough to be considered for one-day cricket and, as there are better options in Test cricket, he must be sent back to Lancashire to get a season or two of bowling behind him at county level.

James Anderson 4.5: At times, it was easy to see why he was the most talked about English bowler back in 2003, but for the most part he looked a shadow of the bowler who had burst onto the scene, knocking over top-drawer batsmen with fast swing bowling. His remodelled action has none of the natural ease of his early method, and he has lost some of his potency while gaining little in terms of accuracy. Should be persevered with in one-day cricket, and he will benefit from some time with his county, as he is unlikely to make the Test team.

Monty Panesar 5: He was economical for the most part, but he has not really cracked the one-day game, and was not the wicket-taking threat England had intended him to be, bowling too quickly in a slightly negative fashion. Not totally immune from being taken apart, he is still short of being a good spinner in the shorter form, but will have plenty of chances to learn. On the bonus side, his fielding was not exposed, and the improvement has been such that it is no longer an issue.

Liam Plunkett 3: Not great in the first two games when given the chance, but was dropped without justification, and did not do himself any favours in the final game, taking the worst punishment from a fired up Gayle. Showed his batting prowess in a stand with Nixon against New Zealand, and may get a chance this summer if he can produce the goods in domestic cricket.

Jon Lewis did not play, while Stuart Broad had little impact in his one game against the West Indies, although he was one of the more economical seamers and hit the winning runs.