Ashes 2015 Nick Knight: The attacking batting that marked England's excellent win was bred in the hothouse of T20

English cricket appears to have found its soul again. Suddenly, the team is not worried about how opponents play but is content with its own style, attitude and method.

Australia were completely outplayed in the first Investec Test of the Ashes and let’s not forget this is the team who recently won the World Cup and arrived in England having thrashed the West Indies. Confidence must have been high, a mood that has now surely been severely dented.

Last week’s Test was won, though, not because of the opposition’s deficiencies but the brilliance of the home team. England have made some shrewd managerial appointments in recent months but the players deserve great credit after this clinical performance.

A batting line-up with Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali at six, seven and eight will put any side under immense pressure. Not only does it have depth, but their natural aggression can force the opposition to go on the defensive.

This attacking approach looks totally natural to these players. They appear comfortable playing their shots and hence are more likely to have success employing this method.

Encouragingly, there are some more of these type of players in county cricket. The domestic system seems not only to be producing them but promoting this type of cricket.

When Twenty20 emerged as a major force in the English programme, there were understandable concerns that big-hitting, dynamic players could concentrate on the shorter formats of the game and, as a consequence, Test cricket would miss out on these young talents, ultimately placing it under threat.

Combine that with the emergence of many lucrative and credible T20 leagues around the world and thoughts arose of freelance one-day cricketers developing and showing off their wares in anywhere but the Test arena.

The England and Wales Cricket Board felt the need to address this situation a few years ago by dramatically increasing the prize money on offer to win the County Championship, to incentivise county cricketers to win this most coveted prize and give kudos to the four-day game.

While the tempo of Test cricket has increased over recent years, some of the audacious batting, in particular, that we now see has much to do with the shorter formats of the game. So what we can now savour is the best young players in the country showing off skills they have learnt in T20 in the longest format of the game. The direct result is that Test cricket’s future appears to be in great health, as it should be.

After such a convincing win there will have been many contrasting performances on the two sides. In recent months England have been guilty of dropping too many catches. Not so in Cardiff. Fielding can often be a good measure of the confidence and self-belief of a side.

When a team is struggling and striving for results, catches don’t seem to come around as often. Therefore the importance of the catch is heightened, hands can get tense and opportunities go begging.

When a team is on top and feels as if it will create further chances, somehow you can seem more relaxed, as there may be lots more catches around the corner. In essence, you are more composed and, importantly, expecting a catch.

However, when a player or team is on top it is easy for your mind to wander and the last thing you might be expecting is a catch. Often, then, the chance is missed. Some observers might think the answer is to return to the old adage that you have to simply practise more often. Actually, I believe that in this instance too much practice can switch the brain off and it can become monotonous. Short, sharp, intense practice can be more worthwhile and beneficial.

Most of the England players will feel they have entered the series well and virtually all made a contribution of note. It is so important to gain an early advantage in any individual battles. Mitchell Johnson did not have a surface to suit him but will surely have a say in the series.

In contrast, Joe Root’s stock continues to rise. Not only is he scoring runs consistently but he has become the type of player that, when watching him bat from your living room, you find yourself not being able to move, not wanting to miss any of the action and to share in all the fun he is having.

It was surprising that Australia’s bowlers did not bowl more often outside the off stump, around about sixth stump, and set an offside field for him. Perhaps that is something we might see from now on. It was interesting that this seemed to be the approach England adopted in the second innings to the prolific Steve Smith.

So Australia have plenty to ponder during the next few days in order to find a spark that might initiate their challenge. Mitchell Marsh will certainly be hoping he gets his chance after a couple of centuries in the warm-up games, while an injection of youth into the side might be a good idea.

England, on the other hand, have much to live up to after a near-perfect performance. I’m sure they will enjoy the next few days and travel to Lord’s full of hope but probably with an expectation that the second game of the series will be a lot tougher than the first.