So much for England's brave new world. Their performance throughout at Edgbaston was even more disappointing than it had been on those last two days against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge.

I know they had the worst of the conditions and it was a bad pitch for a Test Match. But, as Hussain tells us, 'When the going gets tough, the tough get going.'

What I watched for three days at Edgbaston was below the standards that both Nasser Hussain and Duncan Fletcher should demand from their team.

Of course, there were one or two unplayable balls and Mike Atherton had one in the first innings. Nasser Hussain was unlucky to be given out caught behind in the first innings and so was Graeme Hick in the second innings.

But already they were looking like men caught in quick sand. Hussain's lack of form is worrying while Hick's century against Zimbabwe at Lord's seems a distant mirage.

All his old doubts are back in full force. Duncan Fletcher believed he could still get the best out of his fellow Zimbabwean. Lets hope he is proved right by the end of the series

Analyse the dismissals of the England batsmen. A lack of footwork, a number of attempted strokes with the bat miles away from the body and lots of playing at balls which should have been left alone.

These are the basic first principles of the art of batting. Coaches up and down the country are trying to instill these fundamentals into

school kids. English batsmen can score runs but it is important that they focus on the skills they first learnt as young cricketers.

If Mark Ramprakash has a long-term future as an England player it must be in his old position down the order. Nick Knight fought as hard as anyone, top scoring in both innings, and of all the batsmen came out of the match with the most credit. However, with the expected return of Michael Vaughan it will be interesting to see what place he has in the side.

Andy Flintoff's thinking is a major worry. He has great talent but needs to address his shot selection. Test Cricket is not about two booming drives and a score of 18 or 26. It's about time he made up his mind to put his head down to start working at his game.

Yet the role model was there for them to see. For six and a half hours Jimmy Adams showed exactly how it should be done.

The West Indies captain is no great stylist although his guts, determination, sheer bloody mindedness and a home spun defensive technique put him in a class of his own. He knew it was his job to take the West Indies to a cast iron position. It was written across his face in capital letters.

Adams inspiring example was there for everyone to see. From the moment his side took the upper hand on day one they never relented. A clinical all-round performance did not allow England back into the game.

With the noble exception of Darren Gough, who was magnificent, England's bowlers were playing a different game to Courtney Walsh and company.

They served up far too many bad balls and were taught a lesson by Ambrose and Walsh, one of the greatest new ball partnerships the game has ever seen.

England will have to improve ahead of the Lord's Test starting next week. It will be interesting to see what changes are made to the side.

I am sure Nasser Hussain and Duncan Fletcher will not stand for a repeat performance.