Strauss delighted by England desire

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England won by an innings and 83 runs in the second npower Test at Chester-le-Street on Monday to wrap up the series 2-0 and regain the Wisden Trophy they surprisingly lost in the Caribbean during the winter.

"The real challenge for anyone captaining a side is to try and get that extra two or three per cent out of a team, which could be the difference between winning or losing a big series," said Strauss, whose side take on Australia later this summer. "If you look at the way the guys are practising at the moment, there's a real hunger to improve - and we need to cultivate that and make sure it grows and grows."

England's success against West Indies is a far cry from their batting collapse in the first Test against the same opponents in Jamaica three months ago, not to mention the furore over the demotion of Strauss' predecessor Kevin Pietersen to the ranks following his fall-out with then coach Peter Moores.

Strauss always sensed he had the right players to help him turn things around but is nonetheless delighted the team have responded so successfully under him and new coach Andy Flower.

"I haven't been overly surprised (by the improvement), because I've always felt we've got a lot of talent in English cricket and a good 20-odd players we can choose from," he explained.

"Things settled down pretty quickly after the upheaval - which is very encouraging, because it means the players themselves are committed to playing for England.

"There's no hang-ups and there's no ego problems, or anything like that.

"I think that's really encouraging, and it shows our priorities are right as a side. The talent has always been there - and it will continue to be there."