ANDREW Strauss saw a glimpse of England’s future in their ten-wicket dismantling of the West Indies at Lord’s – and the captain is excited at the prospect of more to come.

The performances of debutant seamer Graham Onions, emerging all-rounder Graeme Swann and new number three Ravi Bopara underpinned a victory inside three days in the first npower Test.

Strauss is especially encouraged that the key contributions came from players still finding their feet in a Test squad he hopes can confirm superiority over the Windies at Durham next week – and then get the better of Australia in the Ashes.

Onions finished with a haul of seven for 102, Bopara battled hard for a crucial first-innings hundred, and man-ofthe- match Swann excelled with a maiden 50 and figures of six for 55 with his off-spin.

The West Indies never had a lasting answer, suffering debilitating collapses two days running.

‘‘We played some pretty clinical cricket,’’ Strauss enthused.

‘‘You’d be hard pressed to find too many negatives in this game.’’ In a match which featured a first-ball duck for England’s highest-profile batsman, Kevin Pietersen, Strauss was delighted to see newcomers making a name for themselves.

Opposite number Chris Gayle was left recalling ‘‘disastrous’’ sessions and avoidance of ‘‘disgrace’’ as he came to terms with defeat, but Strauss could afford the broadest of smiles throughout.

‘‘If you want to win games consistently you need performances coming from all 11 individuals,’’ he said.

‘‘There were some different selections, fresh faces – and they all came to the party.

‘‘That’s what you want to see; you need some depth in an international squad if you want to do well and it looks like we are building some decent depth.’’ Bopara answered the call emphatically to fill England’s problem position at one-wicket down.

‘‘We were in some trouble on day one at 100 for four and the way, in particular, that Ravi stood up and showed his temperament under pressure is really encouraging,’’ added the captain.

‘‘It was crucial to the outcome of the match. It was not easy to bat on day one – the wicket was a bit green and nipped around a bit – and someone needed to front up and play the conditions well.

‘‘He did that, and it’s really encouraging when you see that from a guy who hasn’t played a lot before because it’s an examination of his temperament and character.’’ Bopara was far from the only individual to rise to a significant occasion.

‘‘I thought we bowled with some good hostility and kept at it when it got a bit flatter.

It’s just good to get over that finishing line, which we struggled to do in the West Indies,’’ said Strauss.

‘‘We won the important periods and then kept the pressure on. I’m very happy with that – we need a lot more over the course of the summer.

‘‘Winning matches lifts the team and makes them feel part of something very special.

It gives everyone confidence, and the more you do it the more you believe you can win when the chips are down.

‘‘Graeme Swann has been contributing pretty well for a while now. But what a great start for Graham Onions.

‘‘He’ll be delighted with his week, and I’m delighted for him. It shows there’s some good talent in English cricket.

It was fantastic to see those guys do well.’’ England team director, Andy Flower, praised the performance of Bopara.

He said: ‘‘I thought Ravi Bopara was brilliant. He held that innings together almost single-handedly and helped with a few little partnerships along the way.

‘‘He’s got a nice cockiness, a nice confidence about him.

His intent is not one of arrogance.

He’s a very nice bloke, he’s mischievous. It’s nice to have someone in the side with that blend of confidence and calmness.

‘‘He loves the game so much. He loves batting, he even likes bowling. He’s certainly very proud of his contribution to the team effort in this game.’’ Swann was, though, named man of the match ahead of Bopara, and Flower was pleased the Nottinghamshire man had been rewarded for his display.

He was also impressed by Onions, saying: ‘‘I have always quite liked his temperament.

He’s a little bit fiery, got a little bit of guts about him.

“It’s a nice start to his career, but that’s what it is. It’s a start.’’

Scoreboard

England v West Indies At Lord’s

Overnight: England 377 (R S Bopara 143, G P Swann 63 no; F H Edwards6-92). West Indies 152 (G Onions 5-38) and 39-2.

West Indies Second Innings

D S Smith b Onions .............................41

L M Simmons c Cook b Onions ............21

S Chanderpaul c Bopara b Swann ....... 4

B P Nash c Cook b Broad .....................81

D Ramdin b Broad ..............................61

J E Taylor lbw b Swann ........................15

S J Benn b Swann ............................... 0

F H Edwards c Bresnan b Broad ........... 2

L S Baker not out ................. 2

Extras (b8 lb18 w2 pens 0)..........28

Total (72.2 overs) .........................256

Fall: 1-14 2-22 3-70 4-75 5-79 6-222 7- 243 8-246 9-249

Bowling: Anderson 15-6-38-2. Broad 19.2-2- 64-3. Bresnan 7-3-17-0. Swann 17-4-39-3.

Onions 12-2-64-2. Bopara 2-0-8-0.

England Second Innings

A J Strauss not out .............................14

A N Cook not out ................................14

Extras (nb4 pens 0) ..................... 4

Total 0 wkts (6.1 overs) .......................32

Did Not Bat: R S Bopara, K P Pietersen, P D Collingwood, M J Prior, T T Bresnan, S C J Broad, G P Swann, J M Anderson, G Onions.

Bowling: Edwards 3.1-0-12-0. Taylor 3-0-20- 0.

England beat West Indies by 10 wkts.