England for the World Cup? A thought that would have been laughable 2 weeks ago, now seems... somewhat less laughable? Even between innings, most cricket fans would have given Australia good odds of winning the match and taking the clincher at Adelaide - until the wickets started tumbling.
Add Pietersen and Vaughan to the mix and the batting starts to look much stronger, but Liam Plunkett and Sajid Mahmood will have to keep turning in similar performances if their World Cup dreams are to come true. Strauss' form, or lack thereof, might make him a casualty, but the bowling attack definitely requires beefing up to succeed on the placid Carribean pitches.
The fielding has been good (Collingwood being a cut above the rest), but never approaching the Australia team (it's hard to match Symonds, Hussey, Ponting, Hodge et al.). Nixon's glovework will probably keep him in the team for the duration, in addition to the amount of noise he brings to the middle.
Given their earlier performances this season, it was 'no way but up' for England. The question now is, on the bounce, how high can they rise?
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