Light-hearted thrash was the springboard, says Fletcher

"I became very excited about England's prospects after the Twenty20 game," Fletcher said yesterday before he returned home to South Africa. "I was impressed by our performance in last season's ICC Champions Trophy. We clinically beat Australia there. There was no luck involved. One side was far better than the other and no side played badly. But we needed to reaffirm that somehow with another win.

"So we went into the Twenty20 game aggressively," the Zimbabwean-born coach said. "We got in their faces, got into their space and it was so well done. The one-day win in Bristol followed and we then realised we could do something this summer. Even after the defeat in the first Test I never got the feeling that Australia were better than us."

Michael Vaughan's team will receive the most plaudits for England's Ashes success this summer but the input of Fletcher has been as important as that of the players. When the 56-year-old took control of the England team in 1999 they were ranked the worst Test side in the world - Bangladesh were yet to be admitted to Test cricket.

Nasser Hussain, the England captain at the time, had been booed off the Oval balcony after his side's series defeat against New Zealand and cricket in this country was in an awful mess. But Fletcher's organisational, man-management and technical skills have transformed England into a team that has the potential to be the best in the world.

"There are many reasons for our progress," Fletcher said. "Nasser Hussain helped start it. He put discipline into the side and it has grown from there. Then Vaughany came along and we now have some very talented players at our disposal. We also have a very good management team in position. But I have always believed that you win as many games in the changing room as you do outside.

"The first thing that I noticed was lacking was a good team spirit, and it was the first thing we got to work on. It was apparent in the way we prepared. The team was used to getting prepared on an individual rather than a team basis. Players still prepare on their own but if you are trying to get a team spirit you have to do things as a group. Fitness was an important factor, too, as was getting control of the players."

Central contracts have given Fletcher the control he needs. The fact that he withdraws his England players from most first-class games has agitated the counties, yet it is they who will benefit financially from a glorious summer.

"Many people question me when I pull players out of county games in May, but would Flintoff have been able to bowl 14 overs on the trot on Sunday had he played for Lancashire between Test matches? The decisions were made because I wanted the players to have the enthusiasm and fitness to play with intensity in a vital Test match at the end of the season. And they did."