South Africa are worthy No.1s

Most cricket-lovers will wish that the clash between the two top sides in the game had been longer, but make no mistake, the 2-0 result was a fair one. South Africa were definitely the better team. After the one-sided first Test at The Oval, the next two were a lot closer, a lot more competitive. But South Africa played the better cricket. It could have been even closer if England had taken their catches. They dropped too many and those proved very costly. I don't think that South Africa are vastly superior to England, and I think the last two Tests showed how close the two teams are. They were a better reflection of the two teams' strengths than the Oval Test.

There is bound to be a lot of talk over Kevin Pietersen's non-selection for Lord's, but until we know all the facts, we can't criticise the team management too much for it. From what I know and from what is in the public domain, he should have played. But I don't think they've revealed everything. That selection apart, England got a few others slightly wrong. I don't think Graeme Swann should have been left out of the Test at Leeds. And everyone knows I'm biased towards Steven Finn. I think he is a fantastic bowler.

Maybe he wasn't risked at The Oval because he is still not the finished article. At his age, bowling at that pace, you don't expect him to be. But his second-innings spell at Lord's was evidence of why he needs to be persisted with.

As for South Africa, they are a worthy number one side, the best team in the world. I didn't think England could consider themselves that even after beating India so emphatically last summer. I don't think you can call yourself the No.1 team until you start going abroad and winning consistently. England haven't beaten South Africa in quite some time. South Africa beat them in England (2008), and have beaten teams both home and away. When you do that on a regular basis, then you can claim to be the best.

It helped that they have such a well-balanced and varied bowling attack. They have four specialists and Jacques Kallis, who is a fantastic allround cricketer. You have someone like Morne Morkel, who can make things difficult with his pace and bounce, and Dale Steyn, the No.1-ranked bowler in the world who is so very consistent. Vernon Philander had an average of seven wickets per Test before this series started, and he showed everybody what a good bowler he was in the last innings here.

When you look at South Africa, there is nothing missing in the team. Everyone contributes. You can't say that they're lacking a class spinner or a fast bowler or an opening batsman. It's all there, all the ingredients needed for an outstanding team.

England's future direction will depend on lot on how they acquit themselves in India. They haven't been great travellers to Asia, Pietersen is unlikely to play, and the fast bowlers will not get the sort of help they're accustomed to in England. A lot of careers might hinge on that series.

Till Andrew Strauss scored runs against the West Indies, people were on his back about his lack of form with the bat. You can't really say that the West Indies have the greatest bowling attack in the world right now, and he didn't contribute in this series. If he goes to India and gets runs, no one will question his place in the team. But if he fails, and England lose, questions will be asked.

Pietersen's likely absence certainly weakens them. He has made dominant hundreds in Asia before, and adds so much to the team. When you don't have him around, the focus is on every other batsman. There will be a great deal more pressure on some of the younger players, because he won't be around to rattle the opposition.

England's bowlers didn't do too badly on recent tours of the United Arab Emirates [where they played Pakistan] and Sri Lanka. It was the batting that let them down. They do have a bit more to learn, but I think having Finn in the team will help a great deal. He has pace and height and since you can't depend on swing in those conditions, there will need to be more focus on seam movement.

South Africa can consolidate their position when they go to Australia. Australia have improved under Michael Clarke's captaincy, but I feel South Africa are a far superior team, with all bases covered. The Australia I saw playing in the Caribbean won't test South Africa much.

The immediate focus for both England and South Africa is limited-overs cricket. Pietersen will have no part to play. From the chatter going around, it seems unlikely that he'll play for England in the near future. That would be very sad, because the world is missing a great talent. By playing only Twenty20 cricket, he will make a lot of money but the spectators will miss out on a lot of entertainment. And right now, cricket needs its game-changers more than ever.