Time to reflect....

As the ashes series enters its one-day phase it seems a fitting time to reflect on a job well done by Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower's England.
Cricketers and fans, as we know, are obsessed with statistics. So here's some to ponder;
24 years- the gap between England wins in Australia.
24 years- the last time England beat Australia by an innings in Australia.
766- the number of runs Alastair Cook scored in the series, the second highest ever by an Englishman.
127- his average in the series, the second highest by an Englishman in an Ashes series.
2,171- the number of minutes Cook spent at the crease in the series, a world record.
6- the number of England batsmen in the top 10 run scorers in the series.

I could go on and talk about bowling and fielding and number of centuries and five-wicket hauls but the simple fact of the matter is, for this particular series, statistics are irrelevant. It doesn't take a vast array of numbers to point out the simple facts. England were the better side and deserved to win the series. They were clinical in everything they did from start to finish, and despite the slip up in Perth, they displayed precision and skill not seen from an England side for many years.
But what was most impressive was the mood and attitude throughout the entire squad. Steven Finn was England's most impressive bowler in the first three tests, taking 13 wickets, but he began to run out of steam and was replaced by Tim Bresnan. Stuart Broad then picked up an injury, bringing England's perennial twelfth man Chris Tremlett to the fore. The Surrey paceman may not have been part of the eleven so far, but he came into the side and performed like he'd been playing for years and Bresnan produced spells of such dominance over the Australians that he continued to keep Finn out of the side, even though the young Middlesex seamer was fit again to play. To be able to make such drastic changes to a bowling attack mid series without affecting the performance of a side makes being a coach and a captain a whole lot easier.
Flower has had his own trials to overcome whilst in Australia, none more so than having a cancerous growth removed from his face, an ordeal of such worry which no-one can understand unless they have been through the same, but he has still been able to mastermind his side to glory.
Pundits and experts alike are murmuring about world domination for years to come, but for this England side there is still a lot to overcome. India and South Africa have just finished a test series in South Africa. India showed that they are dominant with the bat, Tendulkar recording his fiftieth test hundred, and South Africa showing that they have a bowling attack to be feared as Morne Morkel finally starts to fulfil his potential alongside the irrepressible Dale Steyn.
To achieve so called World Domination England must first overcome these heavyweights, no mean feat, but with Flower and Strauss as the helm one thing's for certain; they couldn't be led by anyone better.