Andrew Strauss (4 matches; 180 runs @25.71; HS: 58)
Oh gawd, he's only gone and done it again. Just when he was surely heading for the scrapheap, Strauss has provided a stick with which selectors can beat the pleading hands of those protesting his incompetence. And so he'll probably go to India at the end of the year in spite of a poor record in this series, and indeed every series against major opposition since Pakistan visited two years ago.

Again his deficiencies outside the off stump - especially against right-arm bowlers coming around the wicket - were exposed, and only when South Africa bowled badly did he manage to get anywhere. If this is the best he can do against one of his favourite teams, England need an alternative. C365 Rating: 3/10

Alastair Cook (4 matches; 329 runs @47.00; HS: 76)
A solid if unspectacular series for Cook, and he remains an excellent prospect for the future so long as he keeps improving. The obvious gripe is that he didn't get a hundred from six starts in the series, an English affliction which Kevin Pietersen must look to banish as one of his priorities.

He may not have such an obvious technical fault as his opening partner but the fact that he was caught in every one of his seven innings is certainly worth looking into. That aside it's difficult to fault a series average of 47 and you could argue that he would greatly benefit from a more reliable opening partner, especially a right-handed one to throw opposing bowlers off track a bit. C365 Rating 6.5/10

Michael Vaughan (3 matches; 40 runs @8.00; HS: 21)
Only Monty Panesar averaged less with the bat for England in this series. While it's not nice to speak ill of the deposed, especially those with noble pasts, most of England's troubles with the bat stemmed from Vaughan's failures at a crucial position in the order, and it was no coincidence that they succeeded in his absence.

After falling to an absolute gem of a Dale Steyn delivery at Lord's he was subsequently found out by the seamer in the first innings at Headingley. When he failed to make runs in the youngster's absence there really was nowhere to hide and he has plenty to do to prove that he can rediscover the form that made him a world number one. C365 Rating: 2/10

Kevin Pietersen (4 matches; 421 runs @60.14; HS: 152; 1 wkt @52.00; BBI: 1/0)
How will Kevin Pietersen remember this series? Obviously as the one in which he took charge, but will he consider it an overwhelming success? As with the Ashes last year on a personal level it was a success, especially after he led England to victory on his first attempt, but does today's Kevin Pietersen consider that enough?

As the top run-scorer in his first series against his native country he deserves great credit, but these are pressing questions given his new role. He can no longer score runs and consider the job done, an attitude that is reflected in shots such as the one in the second innings at Edgbaston. Pietersen failed to mention that moment when Michael Atherton asked him what the turning points in the series were. He should have. All in all it was a very good series for Pietersen, downgraded from an 'excellent series' due to moments like that where the team seemingly came second. C365 Rating: 8/10

Ian Bell (4 matches; 332 runs @47.42; HS: 199)
As Ian Bell would say, 'if you'd have told me before this series that I'd have got those runs, I'd have bitten your arm off'. But looking back now, there's a big reason for disappointment. Having knocked up the series' highest score - that 199 at Lord's - this should have been the series in which Bell broke free of his 30-something tendencies and finally kicked on. Instead it merely served to inflate his series average as he went on to make just 133 more runs at 22.17 in his remaining six innings.

And so the frustration continues and the question marks remain. Hopefully Bell will look back at that knock in future as inspiration that he can make big scores and will go on to put his talent to ultimate use, because it really is quite bizarre how a player that looks so good can suddenly get out softly between 20 and 50, when all the hard work has already been done. C365 Rating: 6/10

Paul Collingwood (3 matches; 232 runs @58.00; HS: 135; 0 wkts)
It's difficult to know whether he should count himself as lucky or unlucky, but either way Collingwood deserves great respect for the way he bounced back in this series. Axed after getting a shocker at Lord's, he returned at Edgbaston after scoring zero runs for Durham and made 135 when his Test future was on the line. Never mind that South Africa were gracious enough to bowl him back into form, his fighting spirit was plain to see and he didn't stop once his place was secure - the sign of a real team man.

He can no longer be considered an allrounder, but this might actually help the selectors going forward as they try to fit together the jigsaw puzzle created by Andrew Flintoff's return. With England's next Test assignment falling in some undesirable Indian backwater, a fighting batsman of his calibre could well come in handy. C365 Rating: 7/10

Andrew Flintoff (3 matches; 9 wkts @36.44; BBI 4/89; 113 runs @28.25; HS: 38)
Well let's start off by giving him 4 points for flying in the face of every C365 prediction and staying fit for all three matches after his return. Let's give him another two points for that spell late on day two at Edgbaston and another two for his all-round consistency with the ball. Minus two for some pretty ordinary batting.

In truth, England could not have expected more from the big fella on his return. He provided moments of awesome inspiration and knocked the wind out of Jacques Kallis' sails to the utmost degree - has JK ever been so outwardly ruffled by a bowler, even if the South African will point to the Edgbaston sightscreen (or lack thereof) as reason for his outburst? - and generally showed that he's still got it. C365 Rating: 6/10

Tim Ambrose (4 matches; 97 runs @16.16; HS: 36; 9 catches, 0 stumpings)
He's just not quite up to the task, is he? Ambrose kept competently enough without ever filling you with great confidence. He didn't drop sitters à la Matt Prior but he didn't take the blinders either, and he's certainly not a Test batsman.

The most worrying thing is that he just doesn't look like a man filled with self-confidence, something which is absolutely crucial in a wicketkeeper at any level. We've probably seen the last of Ambrose in the Test arena, which most will see as a great relief from his perennial 'goi'-ing, mixed in with shouts of 'catch it' to shots which are racing away to the boundary along the ground. C365 Rating 3/10

Stuart Broad (3 matches; 8 wkts @49.00; BBI 3/44; 161 runs @53.66; HS: 76)
The numbers tell the tale of Broad's series, but they can't reflect the spirit with which he goes about his game. With no real speciality to his bowling - he doesn't get alarming swing or bounce - his Test career was unlikely to get off to a flying start. Rather he requires plenty of experience to work out how best to utilise somewhat limited attributes on the highest stage.

They say you only learn when you fail, so in many ways this series was an outstanding success for Broad who really struggled with the ball in the first two Tests but emerged far wiser. He's only 22 and his enthusiasm and natural talent mean that he will only improve going forward. The more experience he gains the more he will serve his country, and in the meantime his batting ensures that he's not a dead weight in the side. C365 Rating 6/10

James Anderson (4 matches; 15 wkts @33.93; BBI 3/42; 60 runs @15.00; HS: 34)
It's been a fantastic summer for Anderson as he finally realised his full potential, and then went on to add a whole new trick to his repertoire. A James Anderson swinging the ball away from the right-hander was deadly enough, now he can swing it both ways with excellent control and genuine guile. It is a rare skill, and his opening over to Graeme Smith in South Africa's second innings at The Oval was truly world class.

He may not have picked up a five-for in the series but you couldn't fault him for consistency - his greatest problem in the past. Even when South Africa were building a massive first-innings lead at Headingley through Ashwell Prince and AB de Villiers' stubborn resistance, Anderson had reason to feel hard done by as he beat the bat on several occasions. With Ryan Sidebottom falling away, Jimmy stepped up to lead England's attack with great aplomb and finished on the top of the wicket-taking list along with Morne Morkel. C365 Rating: 8/10

Monty Panesar (4 matches; 13 wkts @31.69; BBI 4/74; 11 runs @2.75; HS: 10)
Statistically a decent series for Monty but it would be difficult to argue that he improved during its course. He still has the same bad habbits, namely rushing the ball through when things aren't going for him and appealing far too exuberantly. The first ensured that he finished with an excellent economy rate (2.35) but possibly did so at the expense of wickets. The second ensured that by the time Graeme Smith did glove one during that innings at Edgbaston umpire Dar was no longer interested.

Only six of his wickets were top-order scalps and four of those were dismissals of AB de Villiers. Given that South Africa are generally weak against spin (Jacques Kallis excepted), it's a poor return for Panesar and England fans may fear that he has reached his zenith at the age of just 26. Average-wise he was England's best bowler, but these are all genuine concerns as he looks to more spin-friendly pitches in India. C365 Rating: 6/10

Ryan Sidebottom (2 matches; 6 wkts @32.33; BBI 3/81; 25 runs @12.50; HS: 22)
All of a sudden it's not quite so easy, is it? Sidebottom was England's hero against New Zealand after a good year (back) in the England side, but it's been a long year and he didn't have enough in the tank by the time a real test came along. His outward frustration with Panesar at Edgbaston was the low point for Siders, and was a reflection of his inward frustration at his and his team's inability to run through South Africa as easily as they had the Kiwis.

But at least he now knows where he stands in the greater scheme of things. Which is able to produce deliveries of the highest order but not physically capable of withstanding the test of a rigorous series. As he closes in on 31, Sidebottom will know that time is not necessarily on his side and he must make the most of things. A cynic may say that the apex came before this series but his will is strong and he'll bounce back from the disappointment of only taking part in half of this contest. C365 Rating: 6/10

Steve Harmison (1 match; 4 wkts @33.25; BBI 2/49; 49 runs @n/a; HS: 49*)
What a pity that this was England's last Test of the summer, because Harmison finally looked like he was comfortable with his game again. Now he'll finish the county season with Durham in spectacular form, but would you really take to India a man who, in the words of Duncan Fletcher, "gets homesick when he fetches the paper from his postbox"?

Probably not, and so the Oval Test should rather serve as a reminder to everyone (especially Harmison) that he can still do it, before England wrap him in cotton wool, tell him to have a wonderful time off and all being well we'll see him next summer for the Ashes. Ah but what to do about the central contract? C365 Rating: 7/10

Darren Pattinson (1 match; 2 wkts @48.00; BBI 2/95; 21 runs @10.50; HS: 13)
He's not going to get another one, is he? Picked from obscurity and then disowned when he didn't perform miracles, it's very difficult to see Pattinson getting another Test for England after he came across as a good county bowler but no more. Matthew Hoggard has every right to feel seriously peeved. C365 Rating 4/10

Tristan Holme