Michael Vaughan and his merry men

Stephen Harmison became a strike bowler of genuine menace in 2004 © Getty Images

The headlines on the back pages of New Year's Eve's newspapers summed up everything there is to say about England's extraordinary year of success in 2004. "England robbed!" they declared, after bad light had deprived the team of a famous win, and so brought to an end their record-breaking run of eight victories in a row.

England robbed? Surely not the same England that were bowled out for 139 by tea on the first day of this Test? Yes, the one and the same. In the course of those five days in Durban, England battled back from the brink - and beyond - with absolute, unblinking certainty. The only astonishing thing is that no-one is astonished by what they have achieved anymore.

Never mind the past five days. What about the past five years? In 1999, England were officially the worst side in the world. By the end of 2004, however, even the Australians were obliged to acknowledge the steely game-breaking know-how of Michael Vaughan's merry men (and "merry" is the mot juste, because England's matey team ethic has been central to their success). "Second-best is first loser" may be the standard Aussie response to cricket's uniquely competitive squabble for the silver medal, but as 2005 dawns and another Ashes battle looms, the potency of this new-look England team cannot be ignored.

2004 was the year when England emerged from the carefully constructed cocoon that Nasser Hussain had thrown around the side in the course of his four-year tenure. It was the year that Steve Harmison spread his wings, and became a strike bowler of genuine menace. It was the year that Andrew Flintoff became the allrounder that the nation had craved since the demise of Ian Botham, so much so that he came third in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award - remarkable really, seeing as this was an Olympic and European Football Championships year, and that Australia came (and, let it not be forgotten, were vanquished) for a solitary one-day match.

It was the year in which Harmison and Flintoff - bosom buddies since their Under-19 days - became the kingpins at the head of a slavering four-pack of pacemen, each of whom, like some 1980s children's action-hero cartoon, brought subtlely differing skills into the equation - from Matthew Hoggard's guile to Simon Jones's skiddy reverse swing. And it was the year in which the carping about Ashley Giles's role in the side were silenced once and for all. As if a record haul of 22 wickets in the home series win over West Indies was not enough, Giles's batting blossomed sufficiently for him to match Graham Thorpe blow for blow in an epic run-chase at Trent Bridge.

Nasser Hussain knew the right time to retire © Getty Images

And then there was the batting. As if Hussain had not done enough for England in his time in charge, he will also be remembered for the timing of his departure. In consecutive summers, all it took was one meaningful home Test for Hussain to read the runes correctly, first by abdicating in Vaughan's favour in 2003, and then by retiring completely in 2004, following the effortless arrival of Andrew Strauss. A century on debut against New Zealand was followed by another hundred in his first match against West Indies and, as if he was just warming up, two more and a 94 not out followed in his first four overseas performances.

But Strauss wasn't the only batsman to seize the day. Thorpe, revitalised since his return to international cricket at the end of 2003, knocked off four centuries of breathtaking importance in the course of the year. Flintoff meanwhile clubbed a fifty in eight consecutive matches, more often than not in partnership with Geraint Jones, who was controversially given the wicketkeeping duties ahead of Chris Read but responded with 458 runs at 35.23 in his first nine matches.

And in such a hothouse environment, even England's understudies thrived. Robert Key cracked 221 and a matchwinning 93 not out against West Indies, but was back on the sidelines by the time England arrived in South Africa, as was Ian Bell, whose 70 at the Oval was one of the most composed debuts since ... well, Andrew Strauss.

In the course of their 13 matches in 2004, England produced 11 victories and two draws. That tally equalled the record for the most wins in a calendar year, as set by the great West Indian side of 1984, who took 14 games to do it, and one more than the equally great Australian sides of 2002 and 2004. At present, to be bracketed in such company is flattering in the extreme, for England have yet to demonstrate to the Australians that have learned anything from their Ashes pummellings of the past 15 years. But as a staging post for a pop at the world title, it's not exactly a bad situation to be in.

Andrew Flintoff The life and soul of England's party. Flintoff's influence transcends mere figures, and there's been nothing "mere" about those this year, with 898 runs at 52.82 and 43 wickets at 25.76, not to mention 16 catches. If you can't spot him in the field, that's because he's at the heart of a post-wicket huddle, where his infectious glee rubs off on each and every one of his team-mates, not to mention his legions of fans, young and old.

Andrew Strauss What no Harmison, I hear you cry? Well, it's been a feature of England's success this year that they have relied on no single player to come up with the goods time and time again - not even Harmy. Strauss, however, has been a constant factor in England's success, ever since he scored that century on debut at Lord's in May. Not many players have the mental fortitude to turn even Nasser Hussain into a quitter.

England in 2004
	MATCHES	WON	LOST	DRAWN-NR
TESTS	13	11	0	2
ODI	21	12	8	1