England's caribbean heroes

Angus Fraser's player-by-player analysis

Michael Vaughan

England's captain has had an excellent first winter in charge. Vaughan's captaincy may lack the flair of Nasser Hussain but his personality has brought a calmness to the side. The 140 he scored in the last Test was his only real contribution with the bat and he still needs to score more runs.

Highlight: Captaining England to their first series win in the West Indies for 36 years and his century in Antigua.

Low point: Getting out before the winning runs were scored in the Barbados Test. 6/10

Marcus Trescothick

England have a problem with Trescothick. The Somerset opening batsman is too good a player to drop, but he is becoming a bit of a liability at the top of the order. His lack of footwork is being exposed and bowlers are beginning to work him out. In the field, he consistently caught well at first slip.

Highlight: His 88 in Antigua.

Low point: The top-edged pull in Trinidad. Trescothick had already survived an appeal for a catch down the leg-side and been dropped in the gully before he played this shot on 1. 3/10

Mark Butcher

Butcher is a difficult player to work out. At times he looks brilliant and at others awful, but in his own idiosyncratic way he continues to score important runs. The Surrey batsman endured a battering in Jamaica, but he never took a backward step. Butcher still, however, needs to turn sparkling fifties into hundreds.

Highlight: Butcher's shimmy down the wicket and straight drive for four to win the match for England in Trinidad.

Low point: His catching, sorry clanging, in the slips cost him half a point. 7.5/10

Nasser Hussain

Hussain looked in horrible form for most of the tour, but his competitive nature kept him at the crease and allowed him to score crucial runs in both Jamaica and Trinidad. Being under pressure for his place seems to bring out the best in Hussain. Perhaps Vaughan should threaten to drop him before every Test.

Highlight: Being at the crease when England clinched the series in Barbados.

Low point: Getting out shortly before the winning runs were scored in Trinidad. 6/10

Graham Thorpe

I questioned the selectors decision to recall Thorpe at the end of last summer. I admit I was wrong. The 34 year old has been superb throughout this series and he has relished the responsibility of being one of the senior players in Michael Vaughan's side. Twice he brought England back into games they looked like losing.

Highlight: His magnificent unbeaten 119 in Barbados.

Low point: The lazy flick off his hips to fine leg in Antigua - Graham you are better than that. 9/10

Andrew Flintoff

The Lancashire all-rounder had a wonderful tour. Flintoff averaged 50 with bat, 27 with the ball and caught everything which came his way at second slip. He still needs to stop getting out in thoughtless ways to occasional bowlers, but these are the sort of figures England want to see from him.

Highlight: His first five-wicket haul in Barbados. Overdue, but fully deserved.

Low point: Getting out to the occasional leg-spin of Ramnaresh Sarwan on two occasions. 8/10

Chris Read

Read kept superbly on this tour but it looks as though he will have a long wait before he gets his next chance. The 25 year old did not score enough runs for a No 7 batsman and lost his place to Geraint Jones. The one-day games give him another chance to show the selectors that he can bat.

Highlight: Conceding one bye in three Test matches on indifferent pitches.

Low point: Getting out in Barbados, after which Read knew that he would be dropped. His body-language gave it away as he walked off. 5/10

Geraint Jones

Jones' keeping is sound and this fella can bat. He is not a nudging wicketkeeper who scores runs in strange places. Instead, Jones plays like a top-order batsman and his 10 not out on the last day in Antigua proved that he has the right temperament. The 27-year-old Kent wicketkeeper took his opportunity when it came.

Highlight: Being awarded an England cap.

Low point: Watching on as Brian Lara scored his world record 400 in his first Test match behind the stumps. 7/10

Ashley Giles

Vaughan predicted his left-arm spinner would have a crucial role to play on this tour, but Giles spent most of the series as a bystander. A lack of bowling affected his form, but he did score some useful runs. England require more from a spinner if they are to become a major force, but Giles is still the best around in this country.

Highlight: The stomach bug that kept him out of the fourth Test. It saved him from a mauling.

Low point: Failed to take wickets or give his captain control. 4/10

Gareth Batty

The poor thing - he was picked for the match in which Lara re-found his form. To Batty's credit he never gave up and the 26 year old actually bowled quite well at the West Indies captain during a couple of spells. Like all spinners, he needs to find a ball that goes the other way if he wishes to be effective at this level.

Highlight: He can tell his grandchildren that Brian Lara smashed him for a six and a four to go to 400.

Low point: They are still looking for a couple of the balls Lara slogged out of the ground. 4/10

Matthew Hoggard

Hoggard relished the role of being the hard-working grafter in the England attack. The Yorkshireman bowled with aggression and discipline throughout the series and if he continues to bowl this way will take wickets. His hat-trick was one of the highlights of the tour and hopefully this will convince the selectors to give him a decent run in the side. For too long he has been the first bowler to go when changes have been made.

Highlight: His superb hat-trick in Barbados.

Low point: His batting. He has got to find a shot from somewhere. 7.5/10

Stephen Harmison

Harmison was brilliant. His bowling won England this series. But forget his impressive figures for a moment, the most encouraging sight was him giving it his all in Antigua when Lara was on 330. This showed what is in his heart.

Highlight: His 7 for 12 in Jamaica.

Low point: Disqualified from bowling in the last Test for running on the wicket. That ended his chances of breaking John Snow's and my record of most wickets on a tour of the West Indies by an Englishman. Unlucky mate, try harder next time. 9.5/10

Simon Jones

The most encouraging thing for Jones and England is that the 28 year old came through this tour unscathed. The Glamorgan fast-bowler still has a long way to go before he becomes a quality fast-bowler, but he showed what he was capable of in Trinidad with his second-innings haul of 5 for 57. To keep this form up Jones needs to bowl and should be encouraged to play county cricket.

Highlight: His first five-wicket haul in Trinidad.

Low point: He bowled poorly in Antigua. 6/10

In the pavilion

The bowler James Anderson (top) and the all-rounders Rikki Clarke (centre) and Paul Collingwood all toured but did not play in any of the Test matches