Mission accomplished

England have secured their first series win in the Caribbean for 36 years. As the dust settles, Wisden Cricinfo gives its end-of-term report:

Michael Vaughan - the man who led England to victory in the West Indies © Getty Images Enlarge

Michael Vaughan - 6
A hundred before lunch in the first warm-up match was not a bad way for England's captain to announce his arrival in the Caribbean, but Vaughan's contribution to his team's finest hour was peculiarly sketchy. His century in the follow-on in Antigua was not to be sniffed at, but until then he had somehow mustered 105 runs in seven innings without looking out of form. Still, he inspired confidence and loyalty in his PlayStation-generation team-mates, and will forever be remembered as the man who led England to victory in the West Indies.

Marcus Trescothick - 3
Tourus Horribilis. Since he burst onto the scene in 2000, Tresco has never been dropped from the England team, and after his cathartic 88 in Antigua, he probably won't be for a while yet. But a drop down the order must surely be overdue, at least until he rewires his footwork. He is too valuable an asset - especially against spin - to be blasted back to the pavilion before he has found the middle of the bat.

Mark Butcher - 7
Almost wrecked his tour when he turned an ankle in an innocuous incident before the first Test, but in fact, it proved to be valuable preparation for a series in which he took his fair share of blows but was never bowed. With a unique blend of grit and flourish, he produced two vital stands with Nasser Hussain when the Wisden Trophy was still up for grabs, and he remained England's classiest performer throughout. A top score of 61 and an average of 59.20 - consistency has rarely been so profitable.

Nasser Hussain - 7
As a gnarled veteran of four Caribbean tours, nobody will have enjoyed this triumph more than Hussain, not least for the manner in which it was achieved. In a bruising, attritional conflict dominated by the pacemen, it was occupation of the crease that ultimately made the difference between success and yet another failure. And nobody occupied better than Hussain - playing late and low, and driving those Windies whipper-snappers to distraction as he used every splinter of his bat to eke out the runs. He came into the series with his future in the balance, but he has earned himself a last hurrah and the chance to push for 100 Test caps.

Graham Thorpe - 8
Invaluable. Thorpe's 90 in Trinidad rekindled memories of his selfless cavalry-charge knocks on his first Caribbean tour in 1993-94 - then, as now, he would stride out to the middle to cement a hard-won advantage. His century in Barbados, on the other hand, was something else entirely - an innings that was almost Australian in its indomitability, as he coaxed a first-innings lead when no other batsman passed 20. A slight concern was his susceptibility to the to the short ball, as he twice top-edged pulls to fine leg.

Andrew Flintoff - 8
A batting average of 50 and bowling average of 27 - could it be that Freddie is finally becoming the allrounder we all hoped and prayed he would? Quite possibly, although had Lara not celebrated that catch too soon, Flintoff's batting average would have been exactly halved, and for a No. 6, he's still too susceptible to the brainless dismissal. But as a team player, Flintoff is unequalled. He thrived as the straight man in England's pace quartet - especially in Barbados, where he alone found the right length that the pitch required. And where would England be without his bucket hands at slip?

Chris Read - 5
Every tour has its forgotten man, but it's unusual for that man to have played in the majority of the games. It was all a little unjust. Read had an exceptional series behind the stumps - let's not forget how tricky Jack Russell found life in the Caribbean - but sadly for him, wicketkeeping excellence, like that of umpires, tends to go unnoticed. What was more obvious, however, was that his batting was not that of a Test No. 7. He has a chance to challenge that assessment during the one-dayers, but after that, it's back to county cricket.

Ashley Giles - 4
Giles was odds-on favourite to be England's leading wicket-taker at the start of the series, but once again he discovered that life in the fast lane is no place for a spinner - it doesn't bode well for his peace of mind in the summer. At least he enjoyed himself with the bat, contributing an important innings at Kingston and a crucial one at Port-of-Spain.

Matthew Hoggard - 8
The hang-dog turned top-dog for three glorious deliveries in Barbados, when he took one of the most match-changing hat-tricks in history. But that was just the pinnacle of a tour in which Hoggard did everything that was asked of him and much, much more. He swung the ball with utter consistency, and maintained an impeccable line throughout - especially to the left-handers, who have been a constant source of problems over the past 12 months. His renewed confidence bodes well for next month's tricky series against New Zealand.

Simon Jones - 6
He came through unscathed, and that alone is cause for celebration after his tribulations of the last year-and-a-half. As a popular and valuable member of a pace quartet that has made the world sit up and take note, his five-wicket haul in Trinidad was a moment to treasure. But there remain a few question-marks, ones that will hopefully be ironed out as he returns to full match fitness. In particular his pace was liable to drop away, and he hasn't yet shown that he can reverse-swing the ball in the manner of a Darren Gough. But let's not quibble just yet.

Steve Harmison - 9
Whatever was said to Harmison before Christmas has proven to be a masterstroke of man-management. To his raw pace and steep bounce, he has now allied consistency and above all, accuracy. A notoriously reluctant traveller, Harmison has thrived in the matey environment of the current team, and it is almost by accident that he has risen to become the leader of the attack. His 7 for 12 at Kingston will forever be etched on the memory, but it was his six-for in Trinidad that was the defining spell of the series, because of the way he bounced back from a barren new-ball burst. He had Brian Lara in his pocket ... when it mattered.

Geraint Jones - 6
A near-faultless debut, even though he has yet to make a Test dismissal. Jones did not concede a single bye until the third day of Lara's onslaught in Antigua, while his batting lived up to its billing - a vital 38 to delay the follow-on, and an important 10 to quash any prospect of defeat. First appearances can be deceptive, but on this evidence, he is the likeliest of the many pretenders to Alec Stewart's throne.

Gareth Batty - 4
If you thought Giles had it bad, spare a thought for Batty. At least he fielded well off his own bowling, and stuck to his task in the most trying of circumstances.

Andrew Miller is assistant editor of Wisden Cricinfo.