LONDON, 29 July 2004 — England go into Thursday’s second Test against West Indies at Edgbaston in the enviable position of knowing that they don’t have to rely on just one or two players to force a victory.

Before the first Test West Indies captain Brian Lara asked if England had a “plan B” in the event Stephen Harmison, currently rated the world’s best fast bowler, failed to run through an opposition batting order.

But having seen his side thrashed by 210 runs at Lord’s on Monday in a match where Harmison took just two wickets, Lara is well aware that England have plenty of other match-winners in their side.

So far this year Michael Vaughan’s men have won seven out of eight Tests with the other drawn, including a 3-0 series win in the Caribbean.

Now, with England 1-0 ahead in this four-Test campaign, England coach Duncan Fletcher has been able to enjoy a run where new boys and old hands have all contributed.

In the series opener Robert Key, only playing because Mark Butcher was injured, scored 221 — the Kent batsman’s maiden Test hundred.

And instead of Harmison — who has taken 44 wickets against West Indies and New Zealand this year — it was Lara’s former Warwickshire teammate Ashley Giles, with match figures of nine for 210, who starred with the ball at Lord’s in a haul that saw the left-arm spinner twice dismiss his old county colleague.

Add in a pair of Lord’s hundreds, against New Zealand and West Indies from novice Andrew Strauss, Vaughan’s centuries in both innings during the last Test and the increasing maturity of all-rounder Andrew Flintoff and it is clear that England have grounds for optimism.

“The big difference now is that for the first time since I’ve been involved in England everyone from one to seven could all score hundreds — we’ve got a few guys now both in the batting and bowling fronts that can put in match-winning performances,” Fletcher said Tuesday.

“You can say that if one fails the next person will do it,” the former Zimbabwe captain added. “And in this Test we didn’t rely solely on Harmison for wickets.”

Flintoff should be able to bowl even more at Edgbaston as his recovery from an ankle injury continues despite the doubts of many observers who are worried that risks are being taken with the all-rounder’s long-term health.

Meanwhile West Indies have only two days to turn around the problems that plagued them at Lord’s.

Their attack never looked like taking 20 wickets at reasonable cost while Lara’s post-match assertion that fast bowler Corey Collymore, flying in from the Caribbean to replace the injured Ravi Rampaul, was likely to play at Edgbaston suggested something had gone awry with the squad’s initial selection.

Two days is not a long-time in which to improve the lack of professionalism which cost West Indies dear at Lord’s.

Lara must hope the example of Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who batted for over 10 hours in making scores of 128 not out and 97 not out at Lord’s is not lost on the rest of his side.

But no side containing Lara, who has the ability to turn a match all by himself, can ever be completely written off.