Andy Flower hopes England's thrashing of West Indies is not a seasonal blip

It was the perfect start for Andy Flower in his first Test as the official head honcho. West Indies were swept aside by two of his new brooms, Ravi Bopara and Graham Onions, and at last, after 15 attempts England had won the first Test of a series.

Flower may be a novice when it comes to international coaching, but he does not sound like one. After trooping around the Caribbean without a Test win he must have been mightily relieved by the outcome at Lord's, but an hour after the victory he was as measured and analytical as we have come to expect.

"I'm very pleased," Flower said, "but it's only a start, the first Test of a very busy summer." Yet now his regime has an impetus, which has come from the new boys, plucked out by Flower and his fellow selectors.

"Its more important for them than me," he said. "They should be proud of how they handled the situation. Brezy [Tim Bresnan] did not have much of a go, but they all mixed in easily and I'd also like to congratulate the senior members of the side for giving them such a seamless welcome."

Flower is not a man who uses superlatives wantonly – though he is more likely to employ them than Duncan Fletcher – but he could have hardly have been more impressed by the man who has resolved England's No3 conundrum.

"Ravi handled the transition from Twenty20 to Test cricket very well. He left the ball beautifully; he moved his feet beautifully. His innings was lovely to watch in that it was like an artist painting a picture.

"I rate him highly talent-threshold-wise [this was Flower's only excursion into modern coach-speak]. But only he will determine how far he goes," a phrase Flower often uses about his players. "I like his attitude. He has assurance in a nice way. He has confidence rather than arrogance. The blend is right and he's a popular member of the dressing room as a result.

"I think he enjoyed the drama of approaching a hundred. He said that he wanted to get there with a single so he could run to the other end. That showed how clearly he was thinking."

"I first saw him in the nets at Essex when he was 17 and I liked what I saw straightaway. He can be tight enough for No3 and he can play a variety of innings.

"He leaves well and can defend but he can accelerate with that on-drive as his signature shot." There are echoes of Tendulkar when he plays that stroke, which is hardly surprising when you consider who he modelled his game on.

Now he is mixing with the best in the world and Flower is aware of the benefits. "Ravi mentioned that he came out of the IPL feeling more relaxed about his game after playing with and against so many great players, watching how they behave in the dressing room, how they practise. But I stick by what I said before the Test: coming straight from Twenty20 to Test cricket is not ideal."

Bopara will surely have a long England career. Onions may do. There have been meteors of his type before, revelling in spring conditions at Lord's and Chester-le-Street. Ed Giddins took 12 wickets in four Tests at an average of 20, Richard Johnson 16 wickets in three at 17. Giddins may have lacked the dedication for international sport; Johnson's body was quick to rebel. Onions has the potential to last much longer.

Flower is young enough to have faced him in first-class cricket. "I like Onions's character," he said. "He can be fiery and aggressive and I don't think he gives up easily. And he keeps his feet on the floor."

So England head north in buoyant mood with their squad to be named this morning. The temptation to focus on the Ashes is intruding. "We have not talked about the Ashes series in detail but we have had a few thoughts and discussions. We aim high. We want to win the Twenty20 World Cup and [to the inevitable question] yes, I do believe we can win the Ashes."

Flower also patted away the Andrew Flintoff question, the suggestion, which the statistics can support, that England play better in his absence. "No, we are not better without Flintoff. He is a good man and has been a great player for England." Certainly Flintoff, if fit, offers more than Bresnan just now.

Logically England should take another batsman to Chester-le Street to give maximum flexibility to captain and coach. The pitch there is traditionally more bowler-friendly than the one at Lord's, where Bresnan was an onlooker. So they should keep all options open.

But strategically they may not want to pick one, though by taking this course they are in danger of underestimating the West Indies. If Australia were the opponents at Chester-le-Street a sixth batsman would definitely be on hand. Their dilemma is this: Michael Vaughan has not scored the runs; Ian Bell, the likeliest addition, has not quite served his penance and goodness knows where Owais Shah is. So while they should pick an extra batsman, they might not bother

As for the West Indies they have a massive task to convince themselves that they can prevail in England at this time of year. Leaving aside the problems of an absentee captain, frailty against the moving ball, fallible catching and an attack overly dependent upon Fidel Edwards, it is usually bloody cold in Durham in May.

Chris Gayle did not deny how alien the prevailing conditions are for his team. "Even when I was batting at Lord's, I was still cold. When that wind hits you and you get water in the eyes, well, that makes a difference." But even if the temperature rises the momentum now is with an England team that has started to satisfy one of Flower's criteria – "it should always be hard to force your way in." Vaughan, Bell and Steve Harmison, take note. link...