I have taken so much flak over the last couple of weeks after my England team got clobbered against the Stanford 20/20 Superstars team. In a game that was supposed to be one to remember, it never lived up to the hype as England were annihilated.

Those that don't know me may be surprised that I support England, and I have since the age of 13. It was at the age of 13 that my brother Wendell took me across the waters to England to visit Alf Gover's Cricket School. As I walked in I couldn't help but be awed by the pictures of famous cricketers who had trained there, in particular Geoffrey Boycott and Vivian Richards, "The Master Blaster".

My experience at Alf Gover's Cricket School was unforgettable and while on that same trip I also visited Lord's and saw Graham Gooch, Mike Gatting and David Gower at their best, the impact that they left on me has made me an English fan for life. I just loved how technically sound they batted and how professional everything in England was.

Now back to the 20/20 in Antigua.

Firstly, I thought the build-up games lacked quality. With the exception of the England and Trinidad game, the rest lacked the entertainment you would expect from a 20/20 game. With so much money at stake I was surprised at the substandard pitches and outfield.

There were some positives through the week as young Andre Fletcher rose to the occasion and made a name for himself. The Stanford All-Star team played better than any West Indies team that I had seen for a long time, making me to believe their style of cricket is better suited for 20/20.

It is obvious that the six-week camp they enjoyed worked wonders. Their fielding was first class, they seemed to play with a plan and they appeared to be a team on a mission. I was impressed!

As the tournament went on I noticed the wickets got harder and faster which is how it should have been from the start.

The 20/20 game simply does not suit England as they haven't been able to adjust their batting techniques to suit the 20/20 game (they are just too correct). Outside of Prior, Peterson and Flintoff, England really do not have any well known ball beaters.

The 20/20 is a game that befits West Indies as they have flashy, aggressive players, hence the reason why I never embraced their style of cricket.

When I watch players like Gayle and Chanderpaul bat, it forces me to cringe.

Gayle has got to have the worst footwork of any player playing the game and Chanderpaul's unorthodox batting stance is not something you want to teach a kid. However, I will be the first to admit as a batsman that you have to find a style that works for you and that's exactly what these guys have done and to great effect.

Gayle has been scoring runs in abundance and Chanderpaul has proved that you do not need an orthodox technique to be a top cricketer as he has recently won the Player of the Year Award.

There were lessons to be learned from what we saw at the 20/20. The Superstar team had been in a six-week training camp prior to the tournament. It just goes to show you that when you put your work in, you get your just rewards. The reward for them was $1 million each.

"The West Indies are back", was the cry from Mr. Allen Stanford.

Please folks, let's not jump to conclusions here as they are far from back. Recently reality hit quickly as they were thrashed 3-0 in a 50 overs series against Pakistan who I consider one of the lesser teams in world cricket at the moment. If they can't beat a Pakistan team then what chance would they stand against India, Australia or South Africa?

The reality is if they had a world 20/20 series, I think West Indies would be the one of the teams to beat. However, in the longer the version of game the less chance I feel they have of winning. For instance, in the 50-over game I think they would finish mid-table among ODI playing countries and then in the Test match they would sit closer to the bottom of the barrel.

What does this tell us? Basically, it tells us that the players they have are not able to adapt to the longer version of the game and they need to become more disciplined. That is probably why the one player I do admire in the West Indies team is Sarwan as he bats like an Englishman, technically sound and very correct.

If you look at all the great batsmen around the world, they have great technique and patience, hence the reason they are able to adapt to any style of cricket – Graeme Smith, Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis, Sachin Tendulkar and Mohammad Yousuf. Need I say anymore?

This takes me back to the reason why at the end of the day I support England because there is no substitute for good technique.

If at a young age you learn the basic fundamentals, your game can expand from there. So I urge the young cricketers and coaches out there to focus on the basics and make sure that our players are fundamentally sound first before we allow them to get adventurous.