Oops I did it again

Collins English Dictionary definition of deja vu: "the experience of perceiving a new situation as if it had occurred before. Sometimes associated with exhaustion or certain types of mental disorder". Sounds about right. New captain, new coach, new series and yet the conclusion is that it went just like those which had occurred before. Exhaustion has long since set in: after all, how long can one muse over the ineffectiveness of the top 3, the inability to take wickets in the middle overs and the utter hopelessness of the death bowling before the mental disorder sets in?

Today's performance by England was like pudding in a posh restaurant. A little bit of everything just to see what it tastes like. And within 94.2 overs, they managed to provide micro-examples of the major problems they face as a one-day team. Just one wicket (a gift) by the 20 over mark and a healthy run-rate of almost 5 by West Indies. Worse, after that same period had elapsed again, the batting team was only 3 down, even though overs 30-40 had yielded just 37 runs. Perhaps now over 100 has been milked from the last 10 overs for two consecutive games, England might come to realise that simply starving off runs in the middle overs is a false economy. It might help if England had any pace bowlers proficient at bowling towards the end of the innings. Talented as today's trio no-doubt are, they do not posses the necessary attributes to prosper at the "death". None are slingy bowlers, like Darren Gough, with a good yorker and from whom a bouncer can be awkward; neither are they big intimidating men like Andrew Flintoff, bustling in and hitting pitch and bat hard, with an excellent toe-crusher to boot. Reverse swing, of which the two above have been amongst the best of England's practitioners, is another crucial factor; England's current crop, Sajid Mahmood excepted, seem unable to produce it, and indeed it has faded from their plans since it was sliced bread and all that in 2005. And last but never to be forgotten, our old friend extras; before play, Allan Donald mentioned that England's "bowling captain" James Anderson had nominated 5 as the maximum acceptable. What he meant to say of course, was 5 squared, in which case today's total of 24 (9 wides, 4 no-balls) is totally acceptable.

When chasing a big total such as 290, common knowledge suggests a good start is essential. We'll forgive Matt Prior, who was meant to be getting on with it anyway. But for Alistair Cook to get another start and get out when the anchor role was needed from him was, well pretty idiotic, especially from a man who has rarely seemed flustered in his England career to date. England's two victories against West Indies in the two ICC organised one-day events last winter were both won chasing totals in excess of what they had to reach today. The common thread was Pietersen, who scored roughly 1/3 of England's runs in those two games combined. But after he had an easy time of it in the Test series, he has been royally stuffed in his supposedly better form of the game, slotting in between Broad and Anderson in the series batting averages. In truth, West Indies have bowled excellently to him, exposing a weakness against a short ball to quick for him to play off the front-foot. Daren Powell's salutation today flew harmlessly over the keeper's head for byes, but like Curtley Ambrose at Edgbaston in 1995, it was merely the harbinger of English sorrow, as Pietersen went hard at the next and edged to slip.

Much of England's play this series has been decidedly repetitive; an affliction in most cases, it was a boon to Owais Shah, who has grabbed a lifeline to an international career sinking fast after he copped out on his Test recall in May. His third consecutive score (fourth if you count the 20-20 games) gives credence to the belief, held by some for many years but latterly in danger of never being fulfilled, that he could become a fixture in England's middle order. He alone has made runs (due to his fidgety nature one could never say of him that he looks comfortable), and with some considerable style. It's stretching a point, but with Andrew Strauss chalking up successive second ball blobs for his county in the 20-20, Shah may find himself back in the Test side, unless his Middlesex-fellow can find form in the limited 4-day cricket available to him before the Indian series begins.

Shah once again finished without a really big score to his name, but with the rate mounting he can hardly be blamed. The last two games have followed a pattern illuminating about how batting in one-day cricket should be approached. Scenario: West Indies lose just 3 wickets in first 40 overs; result: they get over 100 in the last 10 overs. Scenario: England lose 3 wickets in the first 12 overs; result: you know the rest. Both those have happened twice, in the last two games as it happens. A no shit Sherlock conclusion to be drawn.

So, can't bat, can't bowl. Can they field Martin Johnson? Dropping equal top-scorer Chris Gayle twice suggests maybe not. In contrast, West Indies have been exemplary in the field, their general sparkiness pervading the previously doleful batting and bowling. The batsmen even did their job with just a 30 from Chanderpaul to help them on their way. The bowling has been in stark contrast to England's; Ravi Rampaul has looked extremely useful; Daren Powell a man reborn after a patchwork-quilt of a Test series. The revelation has been Edwards; extreme pace has finally been joined by accuracy and gumption. A man who can force Pietersen onto the back foot, in real and metaphoric terms, is some bowler. Consistency over a number of series must come before he can be talked about with the world's best, but Edwards is a rising star, one badly needed not only by West Indies but world cricket, crying out for top-drawer quicks to capture the imagination. West Indies are certainly on the way to becoming a one-day side competitive with the top nations, of whom it goes without saying England are not included in, but just like England in the Test series, celebration should be tinged with the realisation that the opposition was substandard.

England's captain Paul Collingwood predicts a "bright" future for his young team. And maybe he's not a long long tunnel away from the truth. Throw Trescothick, Flintoff, Bopara and Jones into the team and maybe things start to look up. But that's a maybe. For now the only bright thing related to England and ODIs is the glint of silverware in the hands of the opposition. And that's something none of them could claim not to have seen.