Cricket: English sights on making it nine in a row

It took Andrew Strauss and Graham Thorpe only 37 minutes yesterday to score the 49 runs England required for a place in the history books.

And when Strauss cut the South African fast bowler Makhaya Ntini to the backward point boundary they knew they had achieved something special. Strauss and Thorpe hugged each other in the middle of St George's Park, as did the other members of this remarkable England team on the players' balcony.

Michael Vaughan's squad had every right to celebrate. Their seven-wicket victory over South Africa meant they had become the first England team to win eight consecutive test matches.

Arthur Shrewsbury, Allan Steel and Walter Read captained England to seven successive test victories in 1885-1888. And Percy Chapman's side repeated that feat in 1928-1929. But no other England team has come close to the achievements of Vaughan's side over the past seven months.

This run of success started at Lord's in May when Marcus Trescothick - Vaughan injured his knee before the game - guided England to a seven-wicket win over New Zealand.

The opposition were supposed to be tough in South Africa, but England will travel to Durban for the second test - which starts on Boxing Day - expecting to make it nine out of nine.

"The record was not on my mind when I went into the test match," admitted an ebullient Vaughan. "But now that we have won it I realise we have achieved something very, very special.

"All I was thinking about during the match was putting in a decent performance and trying to get South Africa on the back foot.

"I thought we thoroughly deserved to win the test match but if we are honest, and we are a team which is honest with itself, we did not play to our full potential here.

"South Africa were there for the taking after day two but we did not nail home the advantage and win in a comfortable fashion."

But the fact that this England side is capable of winning games of cricket when they are not at their best, highlights how good they have become.

Vaughan's team is blessed with several players who have the ability to win games of cricket on their own, but they combine this with a togetherness seldom seen in England sides.

This group of players genuinely enjoy each other's company and success. There are no cliques or unsavoury characters and they work hard.

Central contracts and a good coach have helped turn them into professionals, even if at times it may make them a bit boring.

Vaughan was not prepared to admit it, but England were not as well prepared as they should have been before the start of this match. He accepted that there were areas where his side need to improve, and even labelled some of England's cricket on the third day as "shoddy".

England were fortunate that this South African side did not contain enough players with the experience or ability to expose these shortcomings.

But the number of teams that appear capable of putting this England team under pressure is reducing by the series. What these players have achieved has been outstanding, even if they are still to win a major series in Asia, or defeat Australia, who remain the ultimate challenge.

It was apt that Strauss should score the winning runs because he symbolises what Vaughan's side have become. The opener is hard-working, reliable and unfazed by any set of circumstances that are placed in front of him.

Thorpe, the veteran of 94 tests, was supposed to be the man who guided England home, but the 35-year-old just looked on in admiration as his 27-year-old partner dominated proceedings. Strauss faced 40 of the 58 legitimate deliveries bowled yesterday morning and scored 43 of the 52 runs.

An innings of this calibre deserved to reach three figures, but his unbeaten 94, along with the 126 he scored in the first innings, deservedly won him the man of the match award.

- INDEPENDENT