Swann is flying - Strauss

Graeme Swann has West Indies' premier batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul caught for the second occasion in the first Test

England captain Andrew Strauss hailed man-of-the-match Graeme Swann’s impact on the Test team following the crushing victory over West Indies at Lord’s.

Swann, 30, followed his unbeaten 63 with six wickets as England won the opening match of a Test series for the first time in 15 attempts.

Just six months after his debut, Nottinghamshire’s Swann has established himself as the side’s number one spinner and a genuine threat at international level.

Five of his half-a-dozen victims in the npower campaign opener were left-handers and he twice dismissed Shivnarine Chanderpaul, currently rated as the world’s joint number two batsman.

“Swann is an excellent bowler at left-handers in particular,” said Strauss, who hit the winning runs in a 10-wicket victory shortly after 6pm. “I haven’t seen a left-hander play him with real confidence yet.

“He troubles everyone, has a good variety - and I think he’s a smart bowler.

“Possibly the fact he’s come in a little bit late in his career means he’s had a little bit more time to think about his variations, how to out-think people and get them out.

“We’re excited about what he can offer us.”

Ravi Bopara’s second Test hundred in as many innings set up the match for England, after they slumped to 109 for four on the first afternoon, and another of the bold picks Graham Onions enjoyed a dream debut with the ball.

Onions’ maiden five-wicket haul allowed Strauss to enforce the follow-on and even the biggest stand of the entire match, a 143-run alliance between Brendan Nash (81) and Denesh Ramdin (61), could not prevent the contest finishing inside three days.

The West Indies, who sealed their first Test series win in five years against England earlier this year, once again struggled against the moving ball, a theme of their tour to date.

And their ineptitude in early May should have given a new-look England team confidence for next week’s second npower Test at Chester-le-Street and beyond in this Ashes summer.

“It’s always a bit of a shock for the West Indies to come here, and the weather is always colder,” Strauss added.

“But we won the important periods and then kept the pressure on. Winning matches lifts the team and makes them feel part of something very special. The more you do it the more you believe you can win when the chips are down.”

Devon Smith's middle stump is split in two, summing up West Indies' troubles against the swinging ball