Carelessness has been a hallmark of this Test Match, something reflected in the fact that three innings have been completed in as many days on a pitch which has pace and offers some lateral movement, but is by no means unplayable, and a significantly diluted version of last year's trampoline.

Michael Vaughan got the ball rolling in the build up, making a hole for himself by criticising Andrew Flintoff in the national press (although he was partly justified, and this formed only part of an honest and engaging interview) and kept on digging over the issue of whether he had used the name "Fredalo" in vain. As a did he didn't he saga, it was not quite of Bill Clinton stature, but it was a rare misjudgement from Vaughan, usually impeccable in his dealings with the media.

His next error of judgement proved a little more fatal, as he aimed a wafty drive a a ball from Corey Collymore which was nowhere near full enough to be driving at, and nipped back through a gate four fathoms wide. Similar laziness pervaded the rest of the England innings, Kevin Pietersen and even the normally inscrutible Alistair Cook failing to play the bowling on its merits and paying with their wickets. It was only a partnership between the flourishing Bell and the less ethereal Prior, who combined to steer England through a troubled period, before Prior fell into the same not-so well concealed idiot-trap as Pietersen had before him.

The next day it was West Indies who were hampered by sloppy cricket. Although Bell's hope of securing yet another century from No.6 was snuffed out by one from Collymore which spat off the surface, it was not before Steve Harmison had helped him to take England past 300, laying the platform for England's two tail-end left-handers, hair and patka tails trailing from their respective helmets, to slap a merry 30 and get England to 370, about 100 more than West Indies would have hoped at one point.

With the Test being played at Old Trafford, scene of Steve Harmison's 11 wicket haul against Pakistan last year, and it also being the first for England's new bowling coach, Allan Donald, there was much interest in the performance of Harmison and co. Anticipation was heightened by the sight of Harmison being struck twice on the helmet, evoking memories of Devon Malcolm, Fanie De Villiers and 9 terrified South Africans on a fast Oval deck in 1994. Harmison, as usual, succeeded in evoking memories of Malcolm at his mercurial worst. Matt Prior may be glad to have finally got a chance as England's stumper, but he will be thanking no-one for being made to keep wicket to fast bowling which is probably some of the most erratic ever seen from a front-line England bowler. Harmison did get a few right, the element of surprise at receiving a good ball being enough to get rid of Ganga and Morton, but while his ratio of on-target deliveries remains equivalent to Glenn McGrath's percentage of bad ones, he is of limited use to England, despite his ability, shared with precious few, to put the wind up even top batsmen with pace and bounce.

Liam Plunkett, bowling like a man with "needs to bowl more overs in order to learn how to bowl properly on a consistent basis" tatooed across his forehead, was similarly frustrating, and even Ryan Sidebottom bowled too short in his opening spell. At 219-4, the West Indies threatened a contest for the first time in a long time as far as Test Matches against England are concerned. Then Sidebottom, upon return, found his line and produced a corker to dislodge Dwayne Bravo, as, for the second time in a day, West Indies collapsed in a heap to the oddest of odd couples: the snarling, neolithic-looking Sidebottom and the graceful, leaping Panesar. A collapse of 6 for 13 effectively ended the game as a contest and epitomised the general slide of West Indies cricket.

It has not been a series for the stand-in captain: Andrew Strauss, who led England at Lord's, is now in such a bad trot that his performance in the next Test could have serious implications on his Test career. He and fellow second-choice leader Daren Ganga both suffered the same fate both times, trapped plumb lbw, feet immobilised by indecision and pace. The statistics show that Strauss, whose lack of form has been particularly obvious in light of the poor bowling feasted on by every England batsmen except him, has actually been in decline for some time. In his last 25 Test matches he averages 34.80, with half of his ten centuries, the other five having been brought up in just 13 games. It is becoming increasingly difficult to refute the suggestion that Strauss is a player whose Test record has been inflated by an excellent start, and that he has never been the same since England won the Ashes. The assumption has been that Strauss, as a perceived class operator, would come through in the end. Now 30, time is not on his side, and if he fails again at the Riverside, he could find himself an early casulaty of the new regime when the India series comes around.

Strauss' struggles have been highlighted by his blooming opening partner, Alistair Cook, who yesterday became the youngest Englishman to bring up 6 Test centuries, with 7 more Tests before his 23rd birthday to emulate Don Bradman and Sachin Tendulkar who had achieved 8 before that age. There will be far sterner tests for Cook than the anodyne West Indies bowlers can provide, but his lowest score this series is 42, the first of two times he has been snared lbw, slightly unfortunately by Chris Gayle. The one thing to have eluded Cook is a really significant score: for someone with such deep reserves of concentration, a highest of 127 is surprisingly low. Nevertheless, he will have one more chance this series at Durham, and in view of his maiden List A century for Essex last week, a berth at the troubled top of England's one-day side awaits him. Ironically it will probably be to replace Strauss, for whom Cook's excellent start to international cricket, not too disimilar to his own, must be fairly galling.

After Cook departed adjudged leg-before to Gayle, it was England who were guilty of a calypso-collapso, with debutant Darren Sammy enjoying West Indies' highlight of the series, bagging a 7 wicket haul with some jarring bounce from a large frame and useful movement away from the right-hander. The West Indies fielders will be grateful to Sammy for stealing the headlines, as they produced by far the worst cricket of what has been a match low on quality. Three regulation catches were spilled; fumbles were all-too frequent and Jerome Taylor suffered the ultimate ignomy for an international cricketer of having a not-so well hit Pietersen drive go straight through his legs and trickle away to the boundary. They need a fielding coach, some more bowlers like Edwards and Sammy and, more relevant to the game in hand, a gutsy batting performance. It's time for Chris Gayle, in particular, to front up: laconically easy on the eye, he has not made a score in this series, and has not reached three figures in Tests since his triple-century against South Africa, 25 months ago. If West Indies are to reach the 455 needed for vicotry, it would require something similar, although in view of England's bowling and with over 100 extras having already been leaked, two days of Harmison and Plunkett might be enough to win it for them.