I AM a little surprised to see that England have decided to fly out Darren Gough to join the England party for the one-day internationals in the Caribbean.

While we all know what Goughie is about, really what has been achieved in the West Indies this winter should have seen the slate wiped clean.

The new attack is not only bowling well, but they are bowling well as a unit and the new set-up should be allowed to grow - we don't need to be looking backwards.

Especially when you look at what the side have achieved in the Tests. We are now three-quarters of the way to that four out of four in the series that I predicted after our first Test win.

I can't see the West Indies being able to bounce back in the fourth Test in Antigua at the end of the week because they basically looked shot at the end of the game in Barbados.

Even Brian Lara looked edgy and that is not something anyone has seen before.

He is playing defensively and holding back on balls that in the past he would have been smashing to the boundary.

And that is because he knows that if he loses his wicket, the rest are going to fold. But the fact that he is nervous merely heightens the feeling that there is no confidence throughout their batting line-up.

Because they have been shot to bits in the Tests makes me feel that when it comes to the ODIs they are not going to be any better.

The advantage is with England and the bowlers really are working very well together.

Steve Harmison may have set the tone by taking 20-plus wickets, but everyone else who has been playing have also had their moment in the spotlight.

Andy Flintoff finally got his first five-wicket haul and that will have done his confidence no end of good.

Matthew Hoggard worked hard for, and deserved, his hat-trick and four wicket return and all of them can rightly give each other a pat on the back for a reward they have toiled for as a unit.