Sunday 13 September 2015 17:36, UK
Sir Ian Botham is confident that the England team have got a bright future and will only get better.
The side were comfortably beaten in the deciding ODI with Australia at Old Trafford, but that was England's only series defeat in any form of the game this summer.
As such, Botham believes that both the one-day and Test sides are improving and will go from strength to strength in the next few years.
I think the one-day side is growing, as is the Test side. I think they're growing together. England will get better and better, they're a young side.
"I think England are going absolutely in the right direction," he said. "They've picked players, Rashid is an example, who have done well in this series and who'll have grown in confidence through his experiences.
"Moeen Ali, I thought bowled well when he had a little assistance, and where the England team are going to next - the UAE - when we were there last, it certainly helped spinners. It's a big test for those two.
"I think the one-day side is growing, as is the Test side. I think they're growing together. England will get better and better, they're a young side.
"People like Joe Root and Ben Stokes, these guys are only youngsters, Mark Wood, these guys will be around for a while."
Speaking after the match, England coach Trevor Bayliss talked about the need to pick the best six batsmen and the best five bowlers in order to create a winning formula and Botham feels England are helped by having a number of young players who can chip in with both bat and ball.
"When you've got bonuses like Joe Root, Moeen Ali, you've got extra bowlers there, Ben Stokes, who we want in the top five for sure and the bonus is that he can bat - as can Moeen Ali and Joe Root," he added.
"I think you have a balance there. I would certainly think you pick your three best bowlers then you've got Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Joe Root and you need the batting as well."
It is an area, Tom Moody agreed, where England are doing better, choosing top-class batsmen and bowlers in their own right.
"Historically, England have picked all-rounders and they're not in the calibre of the gentleman sitting next to us [Botham]," he said.
"They're just good county all-rounders and they're never good enough with the bat or ball. Bayliss is making the point, which is very much based around how the game is played today, is that you need five specialist bowlers because you need to take wickets in this format.
"If you don't take wickets you're chasing 300 plus every time. So forget run rate, take wickets - and that is the formula for success."
Botham also backed Jos Buttler and Alex Hales to go to the UAE and return to form after struggling with the bat since impressing in the ODI series with New Zealand.
"I actually would have played [Buttler] a bit more in this series and maybe rested him in the Test series because I think he could have hit his way back into form in this format of the game," he explained.
"Jonny Bairstow forced his way in because of weight of runs, which is good for him and puts England in a really healthy position in that department with two players of that quality.
"I think both should go to UAE, as I'm sure they will, and then England have got two options. If Jos Buttler can get some form back then he is such a dangerous player, as he's showed us.
"If you look at the way England invested in Ian Bell, now they've reaped the rewards in 100 Tests. That's why I think Hales has got a talent and he's worth persevering with, as is Buttler.
"I think England have got to stick with these guys and they'll pay them back."
