So much has happened to the England team already this winter and there is still more to come in the West Indies next month.
But rather than more of the same, this is a tour that has to be the start of something new and Paul Collingwood is the ideal man to step in and get things underway.
This has to be the start of a turnaround for the Test team just like we had for the one day side back in 2015 and that is a huge challenge I want to be a part of overcoming.
It was a bitterly disappointing Ashes campaign Down Under, but we have to learn from it and begin the job of building the team back to where we want to be.
It will take time, of course it will. Even the white ball team took time to get to the point where we could win a World Cup. It didn’t happen overnight, even if some people seem to think it did.
We had some bumps in the road, such as the Champions Trophy semi-final in 2017, but we stuck to our plan and we backed the right players to deliver.
And we need to go on a similar journey with the Test team now with everyone involved 100 percent committed to doing what is necessary to improve and be among the best teams again.
That is my approach to it. Test cricket is absolutely my number one priority, and I want to work alongside Joe Root, the best man we could have as captain, to get us there.
It is why I thought long and hard about whether to go to the IPL or not, and felt that this was not about the money but about where my priorities are.
It wouldn’t be fair on any team I signed up for if I wasn’t totally focused on things out there.
The Test team is where it is at for me right now and I want to give as much of my time and energy to that as possible.
I think the Test side will benefit more from me playing a number of county championship matches this summer and getting myself as best prepared as possible for the challenges of New Zealand and South Africa.
Having Colly as the interim head coach for the start of this challenge is a huge bonus for us because he offers so much and already has good relationships to work from.
He has an infectious enthusiasm and passion for the game, and because he has been there and understands what we are going through, he translates it brilliantly to the players.
Don’t think he is a soft touch though, he is one of the toughest men I know and will demand the same level of hard work from us as he always puts in himself.
We will have a new permanent coach in due course, but with Ashley Giles, Chris Silverwood and Graham Thorpe all losing their jobs, I want to pay due respect to the work they put in for English cricket at a difficult time.
They gave everything they could for the good of the England team and I want to say thank you.
