England discover ruthless streak
A couple of weeks ago, it seemed impossible that England would win a game at the Champions Trophy, let alone reach the semi-finals by beating two of the favourites in emphatic fashion.
The change of scene, flying out of England and away from the pressures and scrutiny of a long domestic summer appears to have done the players some good.
They arrived here with little to no expectation on their shoulders, and their win over South Africa was the most compelling England batting display I've ever seen.
With a partisan crowd and white smoke billowing across the floodlit ground from numerous braais in the outer, it was a surreal atmosphere at Centurion, matched only by the jaw-dropping nature of the partnership between Owais Shah and Paul Collingwood, then Eoin Morgan's outrageous 67 off 34 balls.
You had to keep blinking to make sure it was really happening.
One of the most pleasing aspects of the batting was the ability of Shah and Morgan to clear the ropes, something England have often struggled with, whether it be Twenty20s or ODIs.
Twelve maximums in the innings was a new England benchmark, with Shah hitting six of them, one short of Andrew Flintoff's individual record.
Eoin Morgan smashed 67 from just 34 deliveries at Centurion Park
Shah and Collingwood also manoeuvred the spinners around beautifully, knocking ones and twos into gaps, running well between the wickets and then stepping on the gas for a rare onslaught in the last 20 overs.
Yes the pitch was flat, and South Africa bowled too short, but the punishment metered out was exceptional.
Speaking of exceptional, Morgan is making a lasting impression on fans and commentators from around the world who have never seen him play before.
He also kept wicket tidily for someone who had only kept in a couple of Middlesex 2nd XI games and an ICC Trophy match for Ireland before.
Apparently, he impressed Strauss when he stood in briefly for Ben Scott during a Middlesex Championship game this season. With England's place in the semis now assured, it at least gives Matt Prior a little longer to recover from his viral infection.
A mention must also be made of James Anderson, whose is probably bowler of the tournament so far for his economy and accuracy. He was Strauss' 'go-to' bowler against South Africa, coming on in the 41st over and taking the wicket of Mark Boucher when he hit the top of off stump with his first delivery.
As for sportsmanship, well Strauss' nose has got a little harder since he recalled Angelo Mathews during the Sri Lanka match.
His decision to refuse Graeme Smith a runner has become the talk of the match, and it's difficult not to have sympathy for Smith as runners have been allowed for batsmen with cramp before.
England, in particular, have benefitted when struggling with hot conditions in the subcontinent. I recall, for example, last year's one-day series in India when Shah and Prior were both cramping up in the second match in Indore. On that occasion, Ian Bell came out as a runner.
Strauss was perfectly within his rights to refuse Smith, but surely the bottom line is that cramp debilitates a player's ability to run and is not an injury a player comes into a match with, so therefore he should be allowed a runner?
The problem comes with judging at what point the cramp is genuine and at which point it eases, leaving a player capable of running for himself again.
However, a runner is rarely an advantage, usually creating more confusion than anything else. It is a grey area though, the real problem being consistency, which needs to be addressed.