London, Jan. 20 : The England cricket team under new captain Andrew Strauss will have to prove to its fans and spectators both here and in the Caribbean that it has the unity to perform in the run-up to the Ashes to be held later in the year.

Strauss and his teammates will embark on their tour of the West Indies today, and in purely cricketing terms, playing the West Indies in the Caribbean - or anywhere else - is not what it used to be.

The Independent says that the team has been mediocre for years.

"The administrators have been worse and the crowds have contracted the inertia. That, in its own way, has enhanced the fascination: when will these cricketers reclaim their birthright?", says the paper.

From the England side's point of view, the "sensational events of a fortnight ago, which culminated in the effective sacking of both the captain, Pietersen, and the coach, Peter Moores, will not be allowed to recede easily simply because England insist that they are now all pals together."

Critics will be on the lookout for cracks, but in all likelihood, according to The Independent, " Strauss the selectors have found the right man for the right time."

"No captain can be all things to all men and those who try will almost certainly fail, but there is a disarming directness and thoughtfulness about Strauss that suggest he can pull together the disparate components," adds the paper.

The paper further says that it sees Pietersen going back to the ranks and will make it his business to make his demotion a strength and to score.

"There exists the potential for further discord which will also not go away, but England should have enough nous and talent to beat the West Indies in the four-match Test series and the five one-dayers that follow, concludes the paper. (ANI)