James Lawton: Judge England on their Ashes summer

England's cricket team have made great strides under Michael Vaughan, but from the sub-continent of India we are reminded that an ultimate judgement must await the return of summer.

Though India, in their brilliantly mercurial way and with, no doubt, a little bit of help from the Bombay groundsman, unearthed one of the great glories of their game, a left-hand spinner, to win the last Test, the fact is that the Aussies march on under the leadership of Ricky Ponting.

Their 2-1 series win underlines the reality that next year's Ashes series is for England, once again, the real test of their progress. It may be that there has been something of a tilt in the balance of power. England have an authentic Test attack now and an authentic all-rounder in Andrew Flintoff.

The taste of victory has become familiar. However, when the Australians come visiting you need more than a scent of glory. You need the deep down belief that you are the best in the world.

Plainly this conviction - embraced most surely by the Australians - was utterly untouched by yesterday's reverse, when Murali Kartik finished up with a haul of seven wickets and high praise from his captain, the splendidly competitive Rahul Dravid.

With the series in the bag, Ponting might have toyed with a stab at graciousness. He might have praised the skill and the fight of the Indians. Instead he sneered that the Bombay strip was unworthy of Test cricket. He was probably right, but in any event he would have said something of the same. He is Australian and accepting defeat, of any kind, is simply not in the blood.

We will see it, no doubt, on the cricket fields of England next summer and, with equal certainty, in the rugby union international at Twickenham later this month.

Vaughan's men may believe they have merely to beat a talented team possibly on the slide. It is not true. They have to disabuse the Australians of the belief they are the greatest sports nation in the world. We can only wish them luck.