Despite the comprehensive defeat that England suffered at the hands of India in Colombo there are some positives to be taken from the Champions Trophy campaign.

The team left for Sri Lanka just three days after the end of the most hectic season of international cricket they had played. Shawn of five first choice one-day players plus the retired Graham Thorpe the squad had an experimental look.

From the replacement players that were selected for the squad Somerset's Ian Blackwell and Middlesex's Owais Shah look to have gained most from the tour. Blackwell's 82 against India was an innings of great power and skill, showing why the selectors saw him as a good replacement for Andrew Flintoff. His bowling needs some work for international cricket but he has given himself a good chance of making the World Cup squad. He also belied his large frame by showing he was no slouch in the field.

Owais Shah, in my opinion, has always looked a good player with a great technique. It is easy see that he has spent a lot of his early career with Mark Ramprakash. Hopefully his temperament is sounder than one of England's greatest batting enigmas. Shah played a couple of useful innings in Sri Lanka, showing he is capable of working the ball into gaps, something England struggle to do in one-day cricket. With Thorpe having retired there maybe a place in the World Cup squad for the Middlesex man.

Of the other players brought into the squad it looks as though Dominic Cork has played his last cricket for England. Fairly ineffective with the ball during the summer he didn't take a wicket in either game. But you can never write of the Derbyshire captain. Rikki Clarke and James Kirtley didn't get a chance to show their ability. It is unlikely that if all England's first choice players are available either would get a place in the World Cup squad but Kirtley will be watching Darren Gough's fitness with interest. Clarke will have benefited from the experience of the trip and will be pushing for a place next summer.

Most of the established players in the side had at least one decent game (against Zimbabwe!) and confirmed their standings in the team. Trescothick is a world-class opener, Hussain is determined to be number three, Stewart just keeps going and Hoggard is a good bowler when he can control the swing. However Andy Caddick will be looking over his shoulder at the young quicks on tour this winter and England's spin department is not looking healthy. Snape and Giles were given a game each and proved little. My hunch is that Snape, who performed well in Zimbabwe last year, is the better all-rounder and would offer more in the field and with the bat but Giles maybe a more reliable bowler.

Hopefully the England players will not have scared by the Indian defeat. The two teams must me getting to know each other pretty well now. However, I will take the Natwest Final defeat and the recent mauling if we can beat them in Durban next year and take our place in the Super-Six – assuming we can beat Namibia, Holland and Zimbabwe!

© Barmy Army