Vice-captain Jos Buttler admitted England might have picked the wrong side for the first Test against West Indies after Jason Holder's masterful double century provided an unwanted "reality check".
After being swept aside for 77 as 18 wickets tumbled on day two in Barbados, the tourists watched Holder and fellow centurion Shane Dowrich pile on 295 in an unbroken five-hour stand on day three.
Buttler appeared to concede England's decision to leave Stuart Broad out had hampered their prospects in the field, with the decision to include a second spinner ahead of the squad's tallest pace bowler looking worse by the minute.
Asked if it had been an error, he said: "Potentially, yeah. Hindsight is obviously great when you're trying to read pitches and come up with a side.
"It's a brave, tough call for the guys to make but selection is not why we were 77 all out, that's the really biggest factor in the game. With the bat, we were well below our standards.
"With our aim of being the number-one side in the world, that is nowhere near good enough. It's probably a good reality check for us as a side, for where we're at in international cricket."
Another potential concern is the effect such an outing could have on key all-rounder Ben Stokes. A key cog in England's plan for a famous World Cup and Ashes double this winter, he put himself through just shy of 50 overs across two innings.
Managing his workload is crucial to his ongoing effectiveness but like Andrew Flintoff before him, his eagerness to put his body on the line could eventually cause problems.
"It's tough to get the ball out of his hand," conceded Buttler. "He's got such incredible skill and a massive heart and he wants to be in the action all of the time.
"He's an all-action cricketer. We have to manage his workload but it's tough to do that when he just wants to keep going.
"Of course the management and captain want to look after the players especially someone like that but try telling him not to be involved or to take a rest."
Watch day four of the first Test between Windies and England live on Sky Sports Cricket (channel 404) and Sky Sports Main Event (channel 401) from 1.30pm on Saturday.