Tony Becca, Contributing Editor
ENGLAND ARE leading the West Indies 2-0 in the current four-match Test series, one match was won by 210 runs, the other by 256 runs, and reading those Englishmen who write on the game, listening to their commentators, the contest is over.
The consensus is that this England team is so much better than this West Indies team that when the last wicket is taken or the final run is scored at The Oval, either on August 23 or 22, probably even on August 21, it will be 4-0 in England's favour. No one is giving the West Indies a chance of even drawing one of the two remaining matches.
As the English writers and commentators hinted after England's 3-0 triumph in the Caribbean a few months ago, as they are saying now that England have won the first two Test matches - and so easily at that, this series is only a warm-up for Australia who will be in England next summer.
According to the pundits, that will be the test, and although England have not won a series in nine against Australia since 1986-87, the feeling is that this England team is now ready to take them on and beat them.
MASTER CAPTAIN
To almost every English cricket writer and commentator, Michael Vaughan is a master captain, and with a batting line-up to come from Marcus Trescothick, Andrew Strauss, Robert Key, Mark Butcher, Vaughan himself, Graham Thorpe and Andrew Flintoff plus wicketkeeper Geraint Jones, with an attack to come from pacers Steve Harmison, Matthew Hoggard, Simon Jones, James Anderson and Flintoff plus left-arm spinner Ashley Giles and offspinner Gareth Batty, England should conquer - even though Aussie pacer Glenn McGrath has predicted that it will be three for Australia and none for England.
There is one man, however, who does not believe that England will defeat Australia - and that man is Bob Willis.
According to the former England fast bowler and captain, as good as this England team is, although it should be good enough to knock off Australia, it will not do so - and the reason why it will not do so is not because a team with the likes of Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Ricky Ponting, Damien Martyn, Darren Lehman and Adam Gilchrist, McGrath, Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie and Shane Warne will be too good for England.
The reason, says Willis, is that England are allowing Australia to use England's cricket to prepare for England.
STAUNCH OPPONENT
A staunch opponent over the years to overseas players in English County cricket, Willis believes that for too long England have allowed overseas players to hone their skills in County cricket - skills which they then use against England, and this is what is happening now.
With the ICC Champions Trophy tournament set for England in September and the Ashes series scheduled for next summer, there are some seven or eight of Australia's best players representing the counties, they include Ponting, Warne, McGrath and Lehmann who are numbered among Australia's best cricketing brains and, according to Willis, by allowing these players to play in the County Championship this season, England are presenting Australia with a wonderful opportunity, not so much to get accustomed to English conditions, but in their efforts to retain the Ashes, to have a good look at the England players - particularly those with whom they are not familiar.
Is Willis right, or is he just being selfish?
OVERSEAS PLAYERS
While there are those who believe that overseas players are good for English cricket and that as professionals they should be allowed to ply their trade in the county championships, there are those who, pointing to the situation with Mc-Grath at Middle-sex, do believe that the Aussies are using English cricket and should not be allowed to do so.
Middlesex signed McGrath recently for a month during which time he would play one-day matches and four league matches. Shortly after McGrath's arrival at Lord's, however, Australia told Middlesex that he would only be allowed to play some of the one-day matches and two league matches. On top of that, Australia also told Middlesex which two matches McGrath would be allowed to play.
NOTHING NEW
Although many counties are against it, the England team management has the right to say when the England players can represent their counties, and having done so on many occasions, that is nothing new in the County Championship.
So what is the difference - what is all the fuss about?
The difference, according to those who are looking forward to victory over Australia for the first time in a long while, is that County cricket, their cricket, should not be used by overseas players, who are paid by English clubs, to spy on English cricketers, and for McGrath to be in England and on the Middlesex payroll for one month, for him to be moving around with the team and playing only two league matches, specially selected ones at that, suggest that like Ponting, Warne, Lehmann and company, he is in England not to play cricket but to have a good look at the players, particularly the new players, Australia are likely to meet, not so much in the ICC Champions Trophy, but in the Ashes series next summer.
If that is so, if the Australians, including captain Ponting, are in England not to earn some money but to spy, then England's cricket has really come a long way since 1984, 1986 and 1988 when they were clobbered 5-0, 5-0 and 4-0 by the West Indies.
