Fine, except England have also been honest about their success and aren't kidding themselves. Their appraisal seems to be they have good players who lack consistent performances but have showed some fight and spirit. There remains plenty to work with.

Here follows a lesson on my part in self-flagellation - my marks out of 10 for each player for the series working with a set of averages and performances gained in weather-affected matches.

ANDREW STRAUSS - 9/10 (STAR MAN)
What a good job he's done since taking over the national team in tatters. He shows intelligence, dignity and purpose in the role. Man of the series for an average of 51 built on two innings. A fighting century when the chips were down and a 79 when England were facing a disastrous end to a shocking winter.

PAUL COLLINGWOOD - 8/10
All-round contributions from a reliable performer who uses every ounce of talent. If backs are up against the wall it's Collingwood you turn to, as you do when runs are being picked off too easily by the opposition.

KEVIN PIETERSEN - 6/10
Until the final match a series to forget. Personally and professionally a harrowing time by his own admission but he'll sort himself out. I have defended his right to think and feel whatever he wants but be more understanding over what he says and when he says it. Vital cog for the team and his skipper.

ANDREW FLINTOFF - 8/10
The key man for England this summer and the mark takes into account the fact he missed the first two matches. He's convinced and determined he can sort out the batting but his bowling is at its best. Taking 5-19 in the final match and most importantly removing Sarwan and Simmons was a good sight for England and he brings a buzz and confidence in the field. He may want to play in every game but the management must be smart about the way they use him.

STEVE HARMISON - 6/10
Strauss gave Steve a mention after the series win for the effort he gave on a difficult tour. The one-day figures tell a frustrating story of conceding 139 runs from 25 overs but without a wicket. He faces a familar situation at the start of another English summer. Back to Durham to regain his rhythm and wickets. England had a need of him in the one- day squad but I wonder if a longer pre-season with Durham would be better suited with a view towards the Ashes. I continue to believe there is more to come from him.

JAMES ANDERSON - 8/10
The days of one step forward, two steps back are over for Jimmy. In a perfect world you'd want even more consistency. His recent Wisden accolade is reward for someone who proves he can listen, learn and keep getting better.

STUART BROAD - 7/10
Another crucial component in England's future. Great pace and a menace. As well as talent, his maturity and responsibility have always stood out. My worry is he's crossing the temper line too often. Anger is good but it's not being channelled as it should. A bout of hands on hips and words with the umpires is more likely to end in fines rather than wickets at present and he must reverse that.

MATT PRIOR - 6/10
Happier to see him bat lower down the order as his adaptable skills can be utilised well here. A valuable contribution in the final match but despite a lot of hard work, the keeping remains under the spotlight. A dropped catch allowed Chanderpaul to go on to score a century in the second match. He's the man in possession but other candidates are in the wing waiting.

GARETH BATTY - 5/10
Given limited opportunity he wasn't able to make an impact as a late call-up. Showed some character in scoring runs in trying circumstances during the third match.

DIMITRI MASCARENHAS - 7/10
Proving more reliable as a control bowler to put a squeeze on outside the powerplays. A lot was made of the captain's contribution during the fourth one-day international almost overlooking Dimi with his 3-26. He can hit the ball along way and I'm looking forward to seeing it a bit more often for England.

RAVI BOPARA - 6/10
As an opener he needs a big score. Vital runs in the crucial final match but he's capabale of better.

OWAIS SHAH - 6/10
Looks more at ease in the one-day game at this level than Tests but shows vulnerability. Unable to repeat his Indian performances, his 62 in the opening match was a decent start but like Bopara he needs to step up his game.

A crucial issue now appears. Are we prepared to hear his views and respect his right to hold them, even if we disagree? Or only hear comments vetted and controlled by his management or sponsors?

By his own admission he is not a politician.

Had this been any other tour than the West Indies, which looks so nice in the brochures, the story about Pietersen missing his wife wouldn't have taken on so much fervour.

I won't dwell too long on the argument that cricketers are in a privileged position and need reminding. But it is worth acknowleding that argument serves no purpose to someone feeling cut off and miserable.

Also for Pietersen, it is the truth in his own thinking that being a South African remains a barrier between himself and the British public. I think he's wrong but it's what HE thinks that really matters. That could make him feel like an outsider, perhaps unloved. Though he absolutely insists that's not the case inside the squad.

I've often seen him walk around the team hotel on his own. He was also sitting chatting on the beach with Paul Collingwood the other day. More time on his own than with others is hardly a crime, if indeed that's the case.

The night before the interview with the Daily Mail was published he was out having a meal with Andrew Strauss.

They were in the same restaurant as myself. I don't know if they were discussing the newspaper story or not, but the captain appears to take KP in his stride. He certainly didn't need the Pietersen comments to have come out on the same day that England were humiliated against the West Indies. He didn't need details of Pietersen wanting to go home during the Test series and his leaving the field injured bowling at Chanderpaul to overshadow his own great performance to keep England in the one-day series. But Strauss accepts the good with the bad and even laughs off annoyance. He can maintain integrity while not upsetting people. But an entire team of personalities like Pietersen would only go so far.

I've thought on occasions during a short time watching the team that heads have looked down. Is that any surprise bearing in mind the toughest of winters regarding results and backroom fall outs? Coach Andy Flower forced them into additional nets after the 117 all out in Barbados. If morale was that low it could have backfired but it didn't.

Pietersen and I once fell out during an interview after a Twenty20 match at the Rose Bowl when playing for Hampshire. He decided I was being too negative with my questioning over the then-proposed Stanford Twenty20 match.

I asked him amongst other things, what if somebody drops a catch which loses £20m? What happens in the dressing room when someone misses out on being selected? Was he concerned about the reaction of supporters to them playing for such a sum of money?

After abruptly ending the interview I followed him down the steps from the changing room and explained my motivation for the questions. He accepted them and in turn myself. We shook hands and agreed no hard feelings.

He faced those questions on many more occasions and gave them fulsome answers. He misunderstood me that night and this week he too has been misunderstood. It happens.

If Pietersen fails, often so will England. That why it's important he gets it right off and on the field. And it partly explains why people care if he isn't making the right noises.

But we should also appreciate the insight he has given into a world where losing too often in professional sport takes a big toll on your state of mind.

Excuses for the weather aside, I don't think it has been a vintage season and whilst it's been great to witness another close title race I wonder if that is as much to do with a set of average teams as it is exciting competition.

But there is talent out there, players worth watching and admiring. I have tried to pick the XI on impressions from viewing the players and not solely on averages. I have looked at the averages but not included them in the blog. You can check them elsewhere on the site.

I have allowed myself only two overseas players. Kolpak signings are a scourge on the game and it is a shame some counties have felt no option but to sign so many.

But it's not just about my XI. Enjoy choosing your own side, and add your comments below..

1. MARCUS TRESCOTHICK (SOMERSET)

England's loss was most certainly Somerset's gain, and was always going to be. He was the first man to 1,000 runs in Division One, albeit in August. Established a commanding presence and, with Justin Langer, provided the platform on which the Somerset resurgence was based.

2. JOE DENLY (KENT)

I'm going with youth over other other choice candidates with more experience. A 22-year-old exciting opening batsman and good fielder. Other contenders were the ever-improving Mark Wagh (Nottinghamshire), Michael Brown (Hampshire), Paul Horton (Lancashire) and Rob Key (Kent).

3. MARK RAMPRAKASH ( SURREY)

Thank goodness that tremendous milestone was passed. Now we can get on and watch the maestro at work. Other contenders at number three were Murray Goodwin (Sussex), - whose Pro40 title-winning innings at Trent Bridge will stay with me for a lifetime - Anthony McGrath (Yorkshire), Martin van Jaarsveld (Kent) and Owais Shah (Middlesex). There's another who picks up the award for most frustrating player. Michael Lumb (Hampshire) possesses such attractive shots and is strong with it but fails to get the consistent scores he and the team needs. But I'm convinced he can still make it.

4. JACQUES RUDOLPH (YORKSHIRE, captain)

A model professional, and a majestic batsman, he is intelligent, respectful of the game and those who play it and watch it. I'm convinced he would make a good captain. He's one of two overseas players I allow myself in the XI. My views on Kolpak signings are much the same as everyone else it seems.

5. SAMIT PATEL (NOTTINGHAMSHIRE)

Samit is a very good all-round player full of talent and has shown over the last weeks a big game mentality. I very much hope that Andrew Gale might fill this slot in the future, however Yorkshire are playing him as an opener right now so the jury is out. His innings of 150 at the Oval back in May was as a good as I've seen this season. Ed Joyce (Middlesex) always strikes me as player with a good cricket brain and his on-the-field composure is something I admire. A few more conversions of half-centuries into hundreds would be good.

6. RAVI BOPARA (ESSEX)

Ravi is confident, strong and a natural match winner. He's so powerful too, and to score a double-hundred in a 50-over knockout match is very special. His strength is his simple and uncomplicated style of batting. I also pick him as much for what he does and says off the field as on it.

7. MATT PRIOR (SUSSEX)

We shouldn't have seen him on the county circuit this year as he should not have been dropped by England after the Sri Lanka tour. But I suppose he has come back better and stronger on and off the field, so from that point of view it worked. A close also-ran is Chris Read (Nottinghamshire). He also has a very good case for being captain in the way he has led Nottinghamshire after the loss of Stephen Fleming and Ryan Sidebottom. From a distance I am guessing that he and director of cricket Mick Newell know how to run a dressing room and find the right players to fill it.

8. ANDREW FLINTOFF (LANCASHIRE)

He's in this team because not one other bowler has lit the county game for me during the summer like this man with his bowling. His batting with Lancashire of course was a shocker at the time and that's why he's at eight. Flintoff versus Langer in a dead game on a Saturday afternoon at Old Trafford was tremendous.

9. KABIR ALI (WORCESTERSHIRE)

Along with Kaneria and Bopara I have included three second division players in the team. There is a definite divide in talent between the divisions but I'm convinced Kabir will do a great job next year back in the top flight following Worces. His team-mate Stephen Moore is an exciting prospect as is wicket-keeper Steve Davies.

10. DANISH KANERIA (ESSEX)

Don't get me wrong, Danish is a world-class player and is worthy of a place in the side but if I could think of an English-qualified spinner to match him I would have done. The weather and pitches have not helped. Adil Rashid is still a work in progress but thankfully improving this year having stalled a bit last term. For the future Durham have a teenage leg-spinner, Scott Borthwick from Sunderland. There's also Graeme Swann (Notts), who would bat higher. Ollie Rayner (Sussex) can make good use of his height and with Mushtaq Ahmed retired he may get himself some headlines in the next 12 months.

11. STEVE HARMISON (DURHAM)

I have a great deal of time for his team-mates Mark Davies, Liam Plunkett and Will Smith but it was Harmison getting himself together again which made sure that Durham's gifted captain Dale Benkenstein could pick up and increase their challenge and make progress without the retired Ottis Gibson.

Honourable Coaches: Mushtaq Ahmed (Bowling), Graeme Hick (Batting). Retire in happiness and extreme satisfaction, with our grateful thanks.

Those who are responsible for the error must feel bad enough over this so let them be. Those who travelled to watch the match may not feel so generous and, as long as they have never made a mistake in their working life, they have every right to be annoyed.

It is an understandable position. Play the quarter-final match and they could lose. I imagine they've invested a lot into the signings of Albie Morkel and Shaun Pollock for example. They've missed out on a big pay day at Lord's in the Friends Provident Trophy so now perhaps whatever money they would make on a second go at a home quarter-final tie is nothing compared with what stands to be made by progressing in the competition.

It's a fair question to ponder. If not for the cash potentially up for grabs in the international Champions League this would not be the talking point it is.

The problem for captain Dale Benkenstein and his team is travelling from Uxbridge on the evening of Sunday 20 July to play the quarter-final at the Riverside on the Monday. Durham certainly would be at a disadvantage.

A solution perhaps would be to play the game in the south on Monday 21 July and share the money with the host ground and club. Durham's next fixture is on the Wednesday at home to Somerset. Middlesex have come to an arrangement with Surrey to use the Oval for their quarter-final. Why can't something like wise happen here?

However the quarter-final must take place and it should be played against either Yorkshire or Nottinghamshire. The precedent is set. I can see little to differentiate this from the NatWest Trophy match of 2000 when Worcestershire were ordered to replay Gloucestershire after a 19 year old, Kabir Ali, played for Worcestershire when he was cup-tied. Gloucestershire went on to win the game and the trophy.

I fail to see how the issue of why Azeem Rafiq was allowed to play for and captain the England under 15's and 16's should have any bearing on the Twenty20 Cup. It's amazing it happened and needs dealing with and explaining, but at another time.

Also the young man in question must be given the fullest support over this. It appears he's an innocent victim in it all.

So come on, ECB, get it sorted. Bring the meeting forward from Thursday. You don't need all these people in the same room at the same time.

Yorkshire should be fined, and heavily, and give the money to Durham. Order a replay with Nottinghamshire on Friday 18 July and play the quarter-final on Monday 21 July. Yes, Durham are right to feel badly done by but remember: Think only of yourselves at this time and you might find it's you on the wrong side one day. I wonder if Yorkshire are now wishing they hadn't made such a fuss over the flood issue involving Worcestershire and Kent last summer.

Let us also consider the risk Yorkshire would take playing two more matches and not eventually making the finals. The costs involved on top of a fine and disappointing crowds for the Twenty20 Cup could make life hard.

You can be sure every county will detail a member of staff today to make sure every registration of every player, especially those not English-qualified, is water tight.

Final thoughts on why it was left so late to call the game off: Well, it should have all come to light before last night in an ideal world. Even if it hadn't done so until a minute before the match, anyone with such information had to raise it to maintain the integrity of the competition.

Predictions for the new county season is not only a fool's game but also if I was a coach or captain and someone put in print that my side would be relegated before a ball was bowled in anger I would think them pretty stupid.

But I got the call and was told I had to do it and so I have.

I believe Sussex will win that sought-after hat-trick of titles. If only for the reason that I can't think of why they shouldn't.

I mustn't keep saying it depends if key players stay fit but how much longer can 37-year-old Mushtaq Ahmed keep going? Overall, with Matt Prior back for the summer, they look a stronger squad than last year. Prior will score runs and even if he doesn't keep wicket his work as a fielder will be vital.

I watched Lancashire practice last week and, looking at the quality of players at their disposal, couldn't get my head around why they have gone for so long without major trophies.

Andrew Flintoff should get them off to a strong start, players old and young should respond well to new captain Stuart Law, and they should push Sussex all the way again.

With so little difference between the squads it really could come down to the weather. Hove appears to be in a very special spot. I often read "rain stopped play" at Canterbury and the Rose Bowl but somehow they still play on further along at the seaside. That is why I select Sussex.

If Sussex and Lancashire slip up Justin Langer, Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Caddick will lead the challenge from the south west and Somerset are very serious contenders.

The jump from the Second to the First Division is a difficult one but with that experience and talent at Taunton they should prove difficult opponents. Back-up bowling to Caddick could prove an issue, though.

The middle three involves Durham, Surrey and Yorkshire. All three have a chance and will make up the top six who could all be challenging for the title right up until the beginning of September.

Durham will miss Ottis Gibson badly but with Steve Harmison available for who knows how long and Graham Onions and Liam Plunkett around they posses bowling to back up an exciting batting order.

Mark Ramprakash will carry on getting loads of runs but do Surrey have the bowling to win enough games?

Yorkshire's failure to maintain performances with bat and ball for the entire season last year remains an issue and that is why I can't see them winning the title.

Gough was outstanding as captain in 2007 and his commitment to playing through the pain barrier was fantastic but potential must become much more than that if they are to lift silverware.

The fight to avoid the drop is most likely to involve, Hampshire, Kent and Nottinghamshire. I pick these three because they appear to face the biggest challenges.

Chris Read could make a very good captain at Trent Bridge but what boots to fill with Stephen Fleming now gone. One of Nottinghamshire's strengths has always been the whole team effort but without England regular Ryan Sidebottom they have lost a vital match winner.

Kent will continue to be well led by Rob Key. Winning the Twenty20 Cup was a tremendous result for them and could be repeated, but at this stage I see little to convince me they will win many Championship games.

Hampshire will miss Shane Warne more than any team will miss any player - including Sussex and Mushtaq in the future - and I therefore think they also face a tough summer.

Now that Shane Bond is allowed to play he could help keep them safe but I fancy a tough year at the Rose Bowl.

As for the Second Division, Warwickshire should never have been relegated and to watch their poor displays last year was very disappointing. Ashley Giles should make all the difference in getting them back up.

Worcestershire's lack of bowling apart from Kabir Ali was also going to struggle in the top flight and they should find their squad now very competitive again in the lower league. Ali is like Matthew Hoggard at Yorkshire and Harmison at Durham to name a couple - bowlers who don't fancy being overlooked by England just yet.

Look out for Glamorgan and Derbyshire. Changes at both those clubs since last September means they should be in with a shout.

Especially so at Cardiff, where with a new stadium and Matthew Maynard back with an impressive bunch of youngsters, they can "do a Durham" and I'm certain they will do so this year or in 2009.

In terms of the overall picture, the whole domestic game will miss Warne, including the umpires.

He did what other captains often don’t do - risk losing to win. It doesn't work every time and for everyone but I do hope in this season more than any other recently captains remember to entertain.

County cricket will get a bashing this year unless the ECB responds aggressively to the IPL and while I don't question for a minute anyone's right to play wherever and for whoever they want, they should all spare a moment to think about the future of the game of which they are a product.

There has been a lot of talk about the big names missing this season. Well I don't much care about that. There is enough young and promising talent to enjoy in both divisions. From Adil Rashid to Paul Horton and Billy Godleman to name but a few.

There is even that new kid on the block, 32-year-old Alan Richardson of Middlesex. I would not be on my own raising a glass to further recognition of his often understated performances.

Sidebottom is not quite as old, of course, but what happened in 2007/8 to him should be a lesson for a few more that hard work in the Championship can be rewarded.

Predictions of failure are often posted on dressing room notice boards as an incentive to prove another media idiot wrong. Well to all those players, good luck and all the best.

As long as you are not suffering from the same self doubt as I am writing this you will be fine.

I was hoping its impact on the game back in Ireland would have been a launch pad to a bigger and brighter future. St Patrick's Day 2007 was very special in Kingston, Jamaica, and one of very few highlights in that disappointing two months of so-called 'carnival cricket'

Sadly, since then their finances and their results on the field tell a different story.

Of course it took nearly twelve months to 'bump' into them again.

The problem, as is often the case when you fail to make that appointment to see the friend, is that in the meantime they've hit a bit of a bad patch and life has not been plain sailing.

An important fact to point out is that as we mark the anniversary of the World Cup shock win, Ireland are now wanting to move forward and put the hassle of last Summer behind them. So to drag up the troubles again is not helpful.

While I failed to watch them play one match last season I wasn't on my own in all too quickly forgeting the pleasure they brought the game 12 months ago.

At least not one of them said "hello stranger!" when I went to Dublin to talk to a few of them before they set off on a tour of the UAE and then Bangladesh.

It's not all doom and gloom. They've reorganised the administration and the players seem happier with the reserve support.

Sponsorship has proved hard to find, which really surprised me, but work on that is in progress and, unlike 13 months ago when I travelled to Dublin, this year the taxi driver from the airport knew all about their national cricket team. So there’s plenty of reason to be optimistic that they can hit the headlines again.

They do get coverage on this very website and on their own and it appears plenty of grassroots support is available. Kevin O'Brien, one of the world cup stars, tells me at his club there are still kids who arrived because of the exploits in the Caribbean.

The captain Trent Johnston is confident they've turned a corner, admitting they were all '"cooked" when they got back last April and that didn't help get the season off to a great start. He said he's still having to point out to people just how hard it is to mix and match full time work with playing cricket.

He's right of course and every time they play any county team it's a bit like a non-league football club taking on a football league side every week and somehow expecting them to win because they beat a Premier league club once (Pakistan).

Kyle McCallan is still going on about St Patrick's Day in Jamaica to the kids at his school and after thinking that would be his swansong he's hungry for a bit more. As he says, "you get a bit greedy".

I don't like to think that those who moaned about Ireland and Bangladesh making progress at the expense of Pakistan and India were right to do so. But they have more of a point if some of us just offer our support every four years. No use at all.

They don't need or want our pity but just like a decent friend to be a bit more reliable.

Time is tight and, who knows, maybe another summer will pass with far too little coverage but I hope at least they and Scotland get some exposure when they take part in the qualifying event for next year's Twenty20 World Championship.

That's at Stormont at the beginning of August.

NB - Kingston on that weekend a year ago was not all about celebration. Arriving on the island 24 hours after the famous match we were greeted with the news that Bob Woolmer had died. The feeling that covered the city that day was as cool and unpleasant as you could imagine. That will always hang over the CWC 2007 but stories such as Ireland's will also last in the memory and hopefully be repeated.

The England and Wales Cricket Board set out on Wednesday its tough stance on the emerging Indian Twenty20 leagues.

A complex issue has everyone running around asking what if? There is so much uncertainty.

Whilst most attention has focused on what England's top players might do in the future, chief executives and coaches of the county teams have been trying to get to grips with who will and won't be available for them this season.

He had been given until June to prove his fitness following last year's serious shoulder injury but now they might have to search elsewhere for the second part of the campaign.

Rana must now consider whether or not he can afford to breach a contract he's signed with the unofficial rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL).

Should he take to the field under a three-year contract worth six figures next week it will signal the end of any future county or international career. Financially it's no contest.

I understand that the PCB have not yet told Mushtaq Ahmed and others under their jurisdiction whether they will have the important 'no objection certificates' to allow them to take part in the county cricket season withdrawn.

A final decision from Pakistan is expected a week on Saturday.

At Trent Bridge, promoted Nottinghamshire might have to agree to their overseas signing Dave Hussey taking part in the 'officially' backed Indian Premier League (IPL) and then join up with them later.

I'm sure they are very angry about the position they have been put in but at the same time they've enjoyed a good relationship with the Australian. No doubt they would love that to continue.

All players including English qualified who want to play domestic county cricket are now fully aware of the risks they take by signing for the Indian cricket league.

Take part and your days of playing in any competition ratified by the ECB and or ICC will be over.

The ECB will be throwing its weight and support behind all the counties signing players for 12-month contracts instead of the six or nine months which currently exist for most.

What could now happen to those individuals who took part in the ICL last October?

They include Vikram Solanki, Darren Maddy, Chris Read and Paul Nixon. Whilst the game in England might turn a blind eye to their involvement retrospectively in the context of playing county cricket the same might not be the case should the ICC and BCCI decide to hold a Twenty20 Champions trophy propsed for October this year or at any other time.

Teams or players associated with 'unrecognized competitions' may find themselves barred or not invited to compete for the world title.

A decision hasn't yet been taken and it must be stressed it's all speculation at the moment. The competition itself has not been secured. An ICC meeting in the middle of March should make all that clearer.

Whilst people like Solanki and co could well have no further part to play for England, their experience is very important to the younger players in their respective county teams. Their absence should they be disqualified will be heavily felt.

Again lawyers will be sharpening their minds and pens to take issue but I understand the game's authorities are confident they have the law on their side in deciding who can play in what. The chief executives I've spoken to are less certain.

There can be no doubt that county cricket will miss out on the established international names who will instead sign and play for the lucrative IPL.

But a warning to county clubs who may instead rush to sign 'Kolpak' players in their place - officials could have found a way to permanently ban such signings.

It's now being suggested that a European agreement between its member states and some African, Caribbean and Pacific nations only refers to trade issues and not individuals.

Therefore some players who qualify under this agreement would no longer be deemed as non-overseas. Any ruling to that effect would only apply to future deals and not those already made.

One view is that all those players demanding big money from the new leagues have made their names and therefore their 'value' playing international cricket and so the future of the international game is safe.

However what if stars are made and discovered by the television-driven new franchises alone? That would be altogether different.

This should not be treated as 'Armageddon' for county cricket in England but is the beginning of something new. Only those with a degree in law and confidence in handling a crystal ball can be certain what that will be.

Darren Gough - former England fast bowler, Yorkshire skipper and Strictly Come Dancing star - is not one of them.

He took a short break from the Strictly Come Dancing live tour to talk about his county team-mate’s fate in New Zealand, his future in cricket and his new-found stardom on the dance floor.

"I first met Michael when he was 13. He's a good player and great to have around when available for Yorkshire,” he told me.

“When he's with England you can see how much he's improved as a captain from when he started.

“I'm sure the job of England captain will be his for as long as he wants it to be."

One thing Gough has experienced is the pressure than comes from a dip in form and injury. He was written off several times and managed to come back and he thinks Vaughan can do likewise should pressure start to build during the forthcoming series.

"I think he will cope pretty well. He's had a good career and has probably earned enough money now to retire from cricket if he wanted to.

“But he still wants to prove things to people after the knee injury. He is still one of the three best batsmen in England.

"People don't see Michael as a guy who can discipline players because he's not a big guy or strong guy but on the mental side he is very strong and knows how to deal with his players.

“He's got some funny characters in that side and he has to know how to deal with them and he does.

"If his squad stay fit I think they will win in New Zealand comfortably".

Gough is not a fan of spilt captaincy but believes it works now with Vaughan and Paul Collingwood because they are such good friends.

He thinks Collingwood is coming on well as skipper of the limited-overs side and one day he could be ready to take over, but not just yet.

"To be captain you need someone totally mature and intelligent and Michael is that man at the moment.”

As for Gough himself, he feels this will be his last season as a cricketer but also has to consider Yorkshire and the campaign to come.

"I still enjoy playing for Yorkshire and love the fact that I'm captain and it's a challenge that I needed.

“I've got this year to go and see where we are from there.

“Never say never. If we do well and do some of the good things we did last year I'm sure they will try and persuade me to do one more season."

"I still want to be able to perform. I thought I did an excellent job last year and people within the club thought that as well.

“It's about timing and seeing what youngsters we have coming through. I don't want to stop anybody coming through now with me at 38 years of age in September.”

He doesn't rule out some involvement on a part-time playing basis and working with the youngsters.

Since Christmas, Gough has been back in his dancing shoes. He's always been a showman - one of his nicknames is “Box Office” - but even so his success as a dancer and personality is still sinking in.

"I never thought two-and-half years ago I would be on tour doing sell-out dates in arenas around the UK. It's been amazing and great fun.

"The experience is totally different to that of playing cricket. I never really get nervous on a cricket field, I always have confidence in my ability.

“I've played in front of 120,000 people in India but to have 11,000 on top of you, as we had in Manchester for example, I can't explain how nervous I was.

The diversion from cricket to dancing has opened up a lot of new avenues to Gough. The question must soon be what happens after cricket?

The problem facing Gough - if it is a problem - is how he will be remembered. Walking down the street he turns heads not because of his 463 Test and ODI wickets for England but for his consistent marks of 5.0 from the likes from Len and Co on the judges’ panel.

It's something he's aware of.

"When you add up my wickets in both forms of the game, second behind Sir Ian Botham it can be annoying at times,” he said.

“But at the end of the day I know I achieved everything I could have in cricket, and it got cut short by injury when I was probably at my peak in the Test arena."

Check out the Darren Gough interview here.

Look out for Gough in Sport Relief in March. From pupil to tutor he's going to try his hand at teaching dance as part of the money-raising event.

He's also back on 5 Live this summer with his cricket show. He's looking forward to that and to leading Yorkshire throughout the season.

After that, whatever happens Darren Gough, the cricketer and showman, will be entertaining somebody somewhere.

That is why he's delighted that wicket-keeping batsman Matt Prior is back with the county champions at Hove instead of being away with England.

Prior's Test average is now 40 but two bad days in Galle at the end of the Sri Lankan series before Christmas and his time was up. Dropped for New Zealand in both formats, now Sussex and the player must move forward and hope his time will come again.

Robinson says: "Your first instinct is you are gutted for the individual, he's one of our own, he's come through the ranks. Your first impulse is to hurt for the person. As the dust settles you realise from a selfish point of view it's fantastic because we have a very good player back and also we get another leader.

"Matty has natural leadership qualities and he helps coach within the team and, alongside other senior players here, he can help with the younger players."

Prior himself appears at ease with his situation and says he has never felt anger towards anyone after being left out of the squad. The whole experience appears to have done the 25-year-old no harm at all - in fact, it could be the opposite.

He told me: "You can't go blaming this person and that because the responsibility lies on your shoulders. Right now, if I'm being really honest, I'm enjoying being out of the frantic international spotlight."

Last week was Matt's first Valentine's Day in England for the last seven years and thank goodness he remembered to do the right things on 14 February. What appear little things to most people can be very important to those who are used to be being away for weeks and months on end.

He's keen to make sure that he doesn't send out a wrong message that his ambitions are at an end, but age can sometimes bring a little wisdom with it.

"I'm not saying that I would rather be here for one minute. Obviously playing for England is the ultimate. Every time you walk out with an England shirt on it's an absolute honour and I'm working my hardest to get back into the team," he said.

"What's important to me also is the support I've had from Sussex from the coach, chief executive and the players who all have been great to me in what potentially could been a tricky stage of my career."

Whilst Prior strikes me as being comfortable with his position right now, some things clearly rankle with him.

He talks of "character assassination'" in the media, most of which began with the 'Jellybean' incident at Trent Bridge last summer. At times he thought it unfair. What was written and spoken about him was incorrect according to the man himself.

He even claims to have disliked the character portrayed in the media himself to such an extent that he called on his nearest and dearest to tell him he wasn't the person some people believed him to be.

He's adamant he had nothing to do with the 'jellybean' incident and, he says, he was "thrown in the deep end a bit" when he had to do the press conference at a time when "people were looking for someone to point a finger at".

Stronger and wiser are almost watchwords for the player now.

"Certainly with the bat in Sri Lanka I felt I had made huge strides forward and some of the innings I don't think many people thought I could play - in a sort of attritional way. I showed another side to my game.

"The rewards are fantastic when you do well and to do well for England is the best feeling ever, but to do well for Sussex can be just as good. There is no reason why my game should stop going forward just because I'm not playing for England. My standards won't drop at all."

His mentor Alec Stewart is doing what he can to get Matt back in an England shirt, doing some technical work with him, but it's much more than that according to Prior.

"What I want to improve on is my consistency. I can have five great weeks as I did in Sri Lanka, but then a couple of bad days back to back - and that’s the thing you can't afford to at international level."

He also is realising that at times he can go for catches that are not his for the taking, as was probably the case in Galle. As he points out "the ball hit me on the end of the fingertips and it's hard to juggle a ball travelling at 85 mph on the end of your fingertips. It's a matter of judgement."

In fact you can add 'judgement' to his list of watchwords. Prior has more than just the ball to juggle with over the next twelve months. He has to work out how much of his competitive nature he wants to show.

Robinson is convinced that Prior will come back bigger and stronger, and in doing so in the short term, Sussex will gain.

And as for defending the title, it's no change. He tells me: "We keep our targets small and try and win each game.

"We have a bigger squad but we have lost three key players from last year in Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Richard Montgomerie and Saqlain Mushtaq. So we have to compensate for that.

"As ever, when one person goes, it opens up the door to someone else to step in to take the opportunity and grow. That is the type of thing you are always trying to create."

They secured an important win in the final warm-up and when captain Michael Vaughan says he's pleased with the way things are going three days before the first Test he probably means it.

The opposition provided in the two matches was ideal and left the players knowing a lot more about what was required out here. Even the batting collapse would have sharpened them up.

What England can do with now is Steve Harmison back in the nets on Thursday morning to leave Sri Lanka guessing wither or not they will have to face him Saturday.

Up until the back spasm on the first day of the second warm-up match Harmison was again looking the part.

I'm convinced opposition prefer to see England teamsheets without his name on it and if England can leave it as late as possible for him to prove he's right, they will be stronger for it.

Steve must be allowed to forget Australia now. To be talking about one delivery 12 months on is ridiculous.

It was overplayed at the time and the obsession with the Ashes and the regaining of them hangs far too heavily on the game and those who run it.

The winning in 2005 was great and the party was fun but we all got too excited and the expectation that followed was out of proportion. Players like Harmison suffered.

He can and will again win matches for England.

He bowls bad balls and he bowls good ones and enough of the latter are unplayable snorters, which makes him still one of the team's best assets.

The chances of him playing this weekend must be very slim and if he doesn't make the nets between now and Friday afternoon none of us will be looking for his name on the card.

But with bowling coach Ottis Gibson nudging him along this is the moment for the dangerous Harmison to resurface.

If not this time, New Zealand next spring will suit him right down to the ground.

Of course England might reach Kandy and find out they need two spinners, unlikely but possible.

There is a rumour that Sri Lanka are considering using two with Malinga Bandara being brought in. Graeme Swann could get a Test cap earlier than expected.

Monty Panasar has improved as the tour has gone on and this series gives him a chance to step up another gear.

Whether Owais Shah gets to win his third cap or Ravi Bopara makes a debut is difficult to read.

The Essex man played such a big part in the second warm-up match you might expect him to be the clear favourite to bat at six.

Apparently it's still not decided.

He takes his place in this England Test squad here in Sri Lanka almost as likely to picked in the team as anyone else.

It's been a sharp turn around in fortunes, but about time too.

At times he can look very moody when playing, frustrated when he fails to get the wickets he wants after delivering balls from which he feels deserve better.

Yet off the field he is without fault, always polite with seemingly very little edge to him.

It's a temperament which so far has proved excellent and he has now been given a second chance to perform in international cricket.

The first sign of him possessing a good big match mentality came in a Cup game around nine years ago in Cardiff.

Some local university students came along to Sophia Gardens and gave him some terrible grief about his hair.

Without being showy he not only took it very well but joined in to a sensible level and topped it off by promptly tearing in and taking wickets.

The students were all on their feet and clapping him.

Yorkshire know they made a huge mistake in letting Ryan move to Nottinghamshire but for him it was a great move, and who knows? Maybe to leave was essential in his development.

He is without doubt a vital part of the set-up at Trent Bridge and was an integral part of their Championship winning season in 2005.
For several reasons this England squad has a real fresh look to it.

One or two of those faces reflect the coach Peter Moores. Ryan is one of them, along with Phil Mustard - steely enough, with a no-nonsense attitude but comfortable about their work and how to improve.

The early net session in Colombo have had a feel of relaxed concentration.

England can afford it, perhaps with the first Test not until 1 December.

But, as Ryan himself pointed out, the warm-up matches are crucial to many if they want to get picked for Kandy.

I packed that in when machines started picking the same old music to be played on the radio (Dull) and I moved into sport, ending up in Radio Sport seven years ago.

Cricket became my number one interest when working at Radio Leeds after taking on the job of covering Yorkshire County cricket club. That involved spending time with a good bunch including Darren Gough, a young Michael Vaughan and Matthew Hoggard to name a few.

Almost all ambitions achieved thanks to the job but still dream of making an appearance on the Archers one day and having my own country music show.

I still live in Leeds a great city, although home will always be Shropshire, which is one of Britain's best kept secrets