England get a win at last

England duly completed a pretty good victory in the fourth and final Test against South Africa and though it may not have been enough to stop them losing the series, it will have given them some welcome confidence ahead of the winter tour to India.

The win will not take away the pain of losing the series but at least Kevin Pietersen's reign as captain began with a win, and there is a lot to like about the way he conducted himself and the way he led the side.

The forthcoming one-dayers will be a distraction - important as they are for the progression of the one-day side - but the important stuff is Test cricket and there is still a lot of work to be done.

This winter's series in India will be a vital one if they are to go into next summer's Ashes series with confidence that they can do what they did in 2005. That win, close though it was, was based on a solid run of success, so they need to keep moving in the right direction.

South Africa, meanwhile, will go into the one-dayers with plenty of confidence and with no pressure, so expect them to perform as well as ever in those matches. England will have their work cut out.