Many will think I’m a bit barmy after the start Australia got off to in the second Ashes Test at Lord’s, but I strongly believe that England will win this match and set up a very exciting series. We’ve seen it before in 2005 when Michael Vaughan’s side regained the urn for the first time in 18 years — it went down to the last game and there was great excitement brought around the country. It only makes for good watching.

Otherwise, the question was well and truly answered as to whether England would continue to play the brand of cricket that led to them winning 11 out of 13 Tests before this series. I didn’t see any reason why they wouldn’t with the same squad basically, the same characters. It’s a sign of things to come for the next however long. Seeing a guy like Joe Root trying to scoop someone when on nought definitely answers the questions and is very exciting.

There is a lot of talk about whether or not England are giving up the chance to win — or not lose in a sense — by declaring their first innings so early. But I think what they’re doing is just trying to win games of cricket and give themselves what they feel is the best chance to win. A lot of people’s opinions are different on this, but it’s exciting. Edgbaston was packed for five days and that’s what they’re looking for.

It was a big blow to lose left-arm spinner Jack Leach to a stress fracture of the back even before the series started, adding to a bowling injury list that has already accounted for fast bowler Jofra Archer.

Leach has been probably one of the main guys since Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum revolutionised the way England go about Test cricket. He excelled on tour to Pakistan and the way that Stokes has backed him and used him in the past 12 months has improved him as a bowler. It’s just given him so much confidence and to lose him at that stage, obviously right before the series, is tough because then you have to find someone to replace him. It’s hard to replace someone who has been that important to a team, but having someone like Moeen Ali, who had not played red-ball cricket for however long, come right back in was ideal.

Bowling a red ball as a spinner is probably not too much different to the role that he had playing 50-overs cricket and T20 for England. He showed his class with some of the dismissals he got at Edgbaston, but the volume of work took its toll on his spinning finger. He’s not featuring in this Test match, but to have someone of that calibre and capabilities to call on is a bonus.

Lord’s is one of those grounds where, even though it looks green or dry, the conditions are more dictated by what’s overhead. Going with an all-seam attack makes sense. Root is more than capable as the lone spinner; he got wickets in the last Test, has done throughout his career, and nipped in for two yesterday before the close. But normally at Lord’s, you don’t really see big hauls from the spinners. It is the seamers that do the damage.

I can’t go on without a word about Australia. They’re the best side in the world right now. After winning the World Test Championship, you can’t argue with that. Their reputations were further enhanced by how they won at Edgbaston after being on the back foot virtually throughout the match before captain Pat Cummins inspired a famous victory. And yesterday they managed to get to 339 for five after losing the toss!

Just look at the balance of that team: it’s probably what you would want your ideal Test team to look like. A guy like Cameron Green batting at No 6 who bowls at 85mph-plus. They have the best spinner in the world in Nathan Lyon, and then their three quicks in Cummins, Scott Boland and Josh Hazlewood. To say that you could leave out Mitchell Starc in a Test team is just credit to the depth and the ability that they have in the squad.

No sooner did the first Test end that women’s cricket was thrust back into focus with their corresponding Ashes series. It was another good game going into the last day — the first time a women’s Test has gone five days. It just shows how the sport has obviously grown, that the women are improving, and that should be what is looked for to keep the game growing. It’s not often you can have someone score a double century [Tammy Beaumont] and another take ten wickets in the match [Sophie Ecclestone], and still lose. But, like their men, the Australia women are a special team.

Finally and more disappointingly from a local and regional perspective, West Indies are in dire straits at the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe and will require a stroke of luck to get into the top two places required to reach the main event in India in October.

If losing to the host nation was not bad enough, failing to defend 374 against the Netherlands, an Associate Member country, before losing in a Super Over would have been a hammer blow to new coach Darren Sammy and captain Shai Hope. Now they must win all three games in the Super Sixes and rely on other results.

While the possible absence of the two-times champions from a World Cup would be a big loss, it is a testament to Associate cricket. I’ve said it before that there’s a lot of talent and ability within us as Associate players. Around the world and in franchise tournaments, you get the big nations and big players that normally get the first look-in. But there are definitely a lot of players in and around Associate cricket that are more than capable of competing at that level. For a guy [Logan van Beek] to smash Jason Holder — probably one of the most sought-after players in T20 cricket or world cricket in general — for 30 in a high-pressure Super Over shows not only the ability but the mental side of the game for him to stay calm enough to execute.

• Delray Rawlins was talking to Dexter Smith