England must keep their heads screwed on.

It is rumoured that when Sir Clive Woodward (just plain old Clive back then) took over as England rugby coach 10 years ago he had to lobby hard to get an office which he then had to equip himself. There should be no such problems for Peter Moores, who officially took over as coach yesterday; for the meantime he can occupy himself with considering the eleven men to face West Indies on May 17th - a privilege which may not his for much longer if the rumblings which surround the pending Schofield Report are accurate.

As a new man who has nevertheless been involved with the England setup for a few years, it will be interesting to see how he makes his mark. There is no need for a procession of rolling heads, and Moores is too sensible a man to do as Bob Willis suggested and "get out the birth certificates." Still, there are decisions to be made: a wicket keeper needs to be finalised, with the choice for now seemingly between the incumbent, fast talking, reverse sweeping Paul Nixon and Sussex's Matt Prior, another of England's covert South Africans.

Michael Vaughan, who confirmed his upturn in form with a 72 against a Hampshire side with two of Australia's Ashes attack, will captain, but it remains to be seen where he will bat. Much of this hangs on the role of Flintoff, which is another issue for Moores to assess. Should he continue to bat at 6 as part of a five man attack, then one batsman has to miss out. It won't be Cook, who has youth and excellent form behind him, so they would have to lose one of Strauss, Bell or Collingwood. Strauss has the best record, but also suffered the worst winter of the three, and should really be dropped if it comes down to it. There is also the chance that Owais Shah, who has started the season in the same purposeful manner he approached his sole Test, may be squeezed in.

Alternatively, they could decide that Flintoff no longer warrants his place as a genuine all-rounder and play all the batsmen, while hoping that Freddie's ankle will cope in a four man bowling unit. This is a fairly appealing option, solving as it does, several of the major problems. With six batsmen preceding Flintoff, the batting ability of the 'keeper would matter far less, while the hole that Ashley Giles has left as No.8 batsman would be filled. Also, as England now have Panesar as an attacking spinner, as opposed to Giles who was always the fifth bowler and supporting act to the pace quartet, a four man attack is more viable, especially one containing Hoggard, a workhorse of the finest breeding. Whatever the tactical make-up of the team, Moores will be relieved by the strong early season form of the two habitual Test Match opening bowlers who both missed the World Cup. Harmison, in particular, has been sharp, relishing the familiar surroundings and leading the PCA's new "most valuable player" rankings.

Hoggard, Harmison, Flintoff and Panesar would be an efficient bowling unit, backed up by Collingwood's medium pace and the occasional off-spin of Vaughan and Pietersen. Even so, there is a strong possibility that Moores will stay faithful to the five man attack so beloved of his predecessor. Finding a fifth bowler, and one who can bat at 8, could prove problematic; Plunkett and Mahmood both have promise, but potential that would be better realised in domestic cricket for the time being. Likewise, it may be too early to throw Stuart Broad to the lions, albeit ones with very blunt claws. Considering that four men were enough to take 20 wickets against Pakistan last summer in an attack without Flintoff, a quartet boosted by him should be enough to see off a West Indies side little improved from the team England crushed back in 2004. There is an argument that the relative weakness of the opposition means that a young man, such as Broad, should be blooded; on the other hand, a repeat of the scoreline three summers ago would be the perfect way for Moores to stamp his authority on the job, and just now, England need to win, which means sacrificing forward thinking at the altar of necessary short-termism.

On the 17th, with all being well, Michael Vaughan will contest the toss with new West Indies captain Ramnaresh Sarwan. Much like the coin, the future of England, and of Moores, will be up in air. Just over a month later, when the series concludes, England should still be flying. Then there's the one-dayers to worry about...