THOSE wishing to belittle the achievements of England's cricketers thrive on the opportunity to question the strength of the opposition they are up against.

After England secured an unassailable 2-0 series lead over New Zealand yesterday, they are running out of teams to denigrate.

While Marcus Trescothick was pulling Daryl Tuffey for four to clinch a series win with a Test to spare, assorted commentators were queuing up to pour scorn on a Black Caps side ravaged by injury and poor form.

The comments were not without foundation.

New Zealand's bowling attack - short of firepower from the moment the tour party landed on British soil - has been rendered impotent by the loss of pace bowler Shane Bond, all-rounder Craig McMillan and, most recently, spinner Daniel Vettori.

The tourists' batting line-up also proved surprisingly brittle when challenged by a fired-up Stephen Harmison and an equally effusive Matthew Hoggard on Sunday night.

But we've been here before, and the readiness to decry England's opponents is starting to become little more than a useful smokescreen for those wishing to play down the magnitude of England's recent achievements.

Instead, the facts speak for themselves. England have lost just two of their last ten Test series, half of which have been played away from home.

One of those defeats was to the all-conquering Aussies on their own soil so, leaving that aside, last winter's narrow 1-0 defeat in Sri Lanka is England's only recent slip-up.

Given that Pakistan are the only major Test playing nation England have not faced in that time, Michael Vaughan's side have not been afforded the praise it is due.

You can't argue that England haven't beaten anyone when they've taken on every other side in the world bar one.

The winter series win in the Caribbean was supposedly devalued because it was earned against one of the worst West Indian sides in recent memory.

Similarly, home wins against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe were casually overlooked because of the alleged paucity of the opposition.

But those wins, plus a hard-earned series draw against South Africa last summer, mean that England can justifiably claim to be the second best Test playing nation behind Australia.

You have to go back to the days of Gooch, Gatting and Gower in the 1980s to find a time when their stock has been as high.

In Vaughan, Marcus Trescothick, Mark Butcher and Graham Thorpe, England have a top order able to compete against the very best.

There are individual question marks against each batsman - most notably Trescothick's vulnerability to out and out pace and Vaughan's occasional susceptibility to spin - but, as a unit, the batting line-up compares favourably to any top five in the world.

The discovery of Andrew Strauss has bolstered the ranks even further and, as last weekend's knock of 526 proved, there is a resilience and resolve about England's batting that enables them to rally when the chips are down.

The top five is supplemented by the two figures who contributed so much to the Headingley win - all-rounder Andrew Flintoff and new wicket-keeping sensation Geraint Jones.

Flintoff has matured into the player everyone hoped he would become, combining belligerence with the bat with commendable control with the ball.

He is the natural successor to Ian Botham's crown and, fittingly, Headingley proved the perfect venue for him to showcase his skills.

Jones' performance was even more of a revelation, with a magnificent maiden century accompanying a fine wicket-keeping performance capped by yesterday's superb diving catch to dismiss Scott Styris.

If Adam Gilchrist is the ideal by which all wicket-keepers are to be judged, then Jones is the nearest thing to the Australian in world cricket at the moment.

And, if the Australian pace attack is the yardstick for all other bowling line-ups, England could reasonably claim to be even better equipped than their Antipodean rivals. Harmison's development has been nothing short of prodigious, with the Ashington paceman having claimed 14 more wickets than any other fast bowler this year.

Hoggard has not been as consistent, but his hat-trick in the West Indies and his explosive spell on Sunday hint at the potential of a bowler finally establishing himself as a fixture in the England side.

With Simon Jones also wreaking havoc in the Caribbean, England possess a three-pronged attack who are all in their mid-20s.

And, while the lack of a quality spinner remains a concern, England's youthfulness suggests they could be about to embark on a sustained spell of success.

The retirement of Alec Stewart and Nasser Hussain might have robbed the England team of two of its most experienced campaigners, but it has opened the door for a new generation of stars to bed down in a winning team.

They will host the West Indies next looking to make it three series wins in a row.

Success will lead to the inevitable soul-searching over the decline of West Indian cricket. Perhaps, for once, it could also result in an appreciation of the health of the English game.