Buoyant England face tricky decisions

As the sun shone down on Edgbaston and England's two most elegant right-handers helped their side to a lead in the Investec Ashes, it was tempting to conclude that everything was good in English cricket.

A young fast bowler - faster than Mitchell Johnson or anyone else in this match - had bowled England to victory in two-and-a-half days and the humiliation of Lord's seemed a lifetime away.

The atmosphere generated by a full house crowd - "as loud as I can remember" in Alastair Cook's estimation - provided another reminder that there is no shortage of support for the side or love for the game in the UK. It just needs a little encouragement. A surface that provided a fair contest between bat and ball and a side that played attractive, if not always pragmatic, cricket provided that encouragement.

"Even guys who have played a fair bit of cricket were looking at each other realising how special it is," Cook said. "We're very short lived wearing the England cap. Those moments don't come around very often. The challenge is there: can Trent Bridge be louder?"

There is a pretty obvious lesson here: if England play in English conditions, they have a far better chance of success. The surfaces at Cardiff and Lord's did the home side no favours. If Trent Bridge provide such a pitch, they will have let their country down.

There will not be the same febrile atmosphere. Trent Bridge do not allow the Barmy Army's trumpeter to play at the ground and do not encourage the same raucous environment at Edgbaston. Many people, absolutely legitimately, prefer the more peaceful experience. The England players do not and, in 2013, Andy Flower did everything in his power to try and overturn Nottinghamshire's policy. He failed and England will fail again if they try now.

How much difference is makes is debatable, but a couple of Australians - notably Johnson - didn't look as if they were loving the Hollies Stand chants here.

It helped at Edgbaston that the local favourite, Ian Bell, saw his side home. The purrs of appreciation that greeted his cover drives off Mitchell Starc were familiar, but it was more relevant that he was there in the end, adding substance to the undoubted style.

This was a significant performance from Bell. Promoted to No. 3 at a time with his own place in real jeopardy, he responded with 118 runs in the match - more than anyone else - and made sure he finished the job. As Cook put it: "You've got to keep backing the right horse and Ian Bell is certainly the right horse."

He enjoyed some fortune, though. He was dropped - badly dropped - by Michael Clarke when he had scored 20. Drawn into feeling at one well outside off stump, he effectively guided the ball to second slip. On another day, it could have been a mistake that cost England a Test. Sometimes luck is the difference between success and failure.

Such a moment sums up some of the issues England face. This was a fine performance and they deserve the plaudits they receive. But, beyond the obvious euphoria at the result, concerns linger. Nobody should think they are the finished article. Their win loss ratio across their last seven Tests makes them the most inconsistent team in history.

Most notably, England will - for the first time since the Edgbaston Test against West Indies in 2012 - not have James Anderson in their attack. He may well have played his final Ashes Test. He has had a remarkable fitness record for a fast bowler, missing just one match through injury - the Sri Lanka Test at Lord's in 2011 - since being recalled against New Zealand in 2008. England won without him on the Bangladesh tour in 2010 when he was rested, but this will be a far greater challenge and a glimpse at the future. As Cook said to the BBC, "time is getting on" with Anderson.

It seems highly likely that Mark Wood will come into the side in place of Anderson. He has a good record at Trent Bridge and should be well rested after not playing here. But Anderson has been the man Cook has turned to time after time in times of need. His absence is colossal.

England have trickier decision to make over Adam Lyth. An opening batsman might be expected to suffer a few early dismissals but it is the manner of them that is concerning with Lyth. For two Tests in a row, he has been dismissed slashing outside off stump in a manner that has done little to suggest he is the man for the job. His average of 12 in the series and 22.20 in his five-Test career is no more encouraging.

For that reason, when the selectors meet on Saturday, they will discuss alternatives.

There is no standout candidate. Nick Compton might be considered one and Alex Hales another. But Compton's somewhat old-fashioned method does not, rightly or wrongly, fit in with the ethos of the current England side, while Hales, for all his talent, is still developing as a first-class player. It might arrest that development if he comes up against this attack on a seaming surface.

Other options include Mark Stoneman and Gary Ballance. While returning to Ballance so soon after dropping him might be considered perverse, Stoneman's record - he will pass 1,000 first-class runs this season despite playing his home matches on a tricky Durham surface - is impressive. Compton would be the wise choice, but Stoneman the more confident and more reflective of the current spirit of the England squad.

It will be a surprise if Lyth is discarded now, though. The management value a settled environment and noted Lyth's excellent catch off Clarke in the Australian second innings. He probably has one more chance.

Moeen Ali might occupy some of the selectors' time, too. Moeen is the third highest England run-scorer in the series - and he has scored only one run fewer than Bell - but is still some way below his best with the ball. He will surely win a further opportunity at Trent Bridge but it was noticeable that Nathan Lyon found far more turn from this surface.

Jos Buttler, who held a wonderful catch on Friday, continues to endure a lean time with the bat (he is averaging 13.40) while Ben Stokes' bowling average (99.50) is ugly. But we knew that an England team in development would take time to unlock their potential. Now is not the time to lose faith with such talented young players.

Indeed, as England reflect on this result and think about Trent Bridge, they may come to this conclusion. While the life cycle of their team is in its early stages - the team at Trent Bridge will contain only two men aged more than 30 - the life cycle of the Australian team is markedly different. Indeed, it speaks volumes for their predicament that they are considering dropping one batsman in his mid-30s for one only three years younger. Win or lose this series, doesn't England's future look a little brighter?