The Test Series against West Indies will be hard and close, but I expect Michael Vaughan to lead England to victory again for the second time this year. It is unlikely that we will be able to dominate as long and as consistently as we did in the Caribbean, but I still expect us to prevail by the odd match.
 
There were no surprises when the selectors named the squad and I think the only poser surrounds Andrew Flintoff and whether or not he is going to bowl. If he can add to the attack then the selectors have to decide whether to go with a four-man all-pace attack or three and spinner Ashley Giles.   If Giles plays then I expect the final bowling place to go to either Simon Jones or James Anderson.  It's a tough decision, but at least it's nice to have options.
 
The Windies have warmed up brilliantly and surpassed everybody's expectations in the one-day series although losing to New Zealand in the final.   I expect them to be a tougher proposition than they were at home.  They will have had a good look at Steve Harmison and may be a bit better prepared for the threat he represents.
 
If the wickets are flat then Brian Lara's side are capable of posting big totals, but if the recent weather has left a bit of juice in the pitches then our bowlers might just enjoy an advantage.
 
Much has been written about Michael Vaughan and I know he has worked very hard in the last 10 days on his batting.  I'm sure a big score is not very far away.