Injured England brace for battle

Friday, November 20, 2009
Start time 14.30 (12.30GMT)

England and South Africa shared last week's Twenty20 series 1-1, but that scoreline disguises the staggering gulf that emerged between the sides in the second of the two fixtures at Centurion. Eoin Morgan's unbeaten 85 from 45 balls in the first match had set English pulses racing, but two days later, his effort was put into stark context by Loots Bosman and Graeme Smith, whose world-record 170-run opening stand came from a ridiculously rapid 13 overs.

South Africa duly won a farcically one-sided contest by 84 runs (and by 17 sixes to six), in a declaration of intent that has since been backed up by Mickey Arthur's bellicose comments in the press. "No more Mr Nice Guys" is the message being sent out, and England's South African middle-order of Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen can expect to bear the brunt of the new nasty edge.

Pietersen, however, has seen it all before - nothing will ever compare to the reception he received on his first tour to South Africa in 2004-05, and on that occasion he responded with three centuries in five innings. Trott, meanwhile, has been one of England's most consistent performers on the tour so far, most recently in the warm-up at Potchefstroom, where he made 78 from 89 balls to overcome South Africa A.

England's biggest concerns are all internal ones, with two players - Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad - already ruled out of the first two ODIs, and a host of key players, including Paul Collingwood and James Anderson, fighting for full fitness. Andrew Strauss, who missed the Twenty20s, returns to resume his rivalry with Smith, the man whom he refused a runner during an heroic but futile century in the Champions Trophy back in September.

That match, incidentally, is a reminder of England's improbable ODI record in recent fixtures against South Africa. With five wins and a washout in their last six encounters, they have a few bragging rights to fall back on, that Centurion debacle notwithstanding.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)

South Africa - WWLWL
England - LLWWW

Loots Bosman, who last week came within a six-hit of the second century in Twenty20 history, has not even been selected for the ODI squad, which can be taken either as an oversight or a show of South Africa's strength in depth. Instead, Jacques Kallis is expected to partner Smith at the top of the order, with AB de Villiers handed a new slice of responsibility in the No. 3 slot. Ryan McLaren, who impressed on his ODI debut against Zimbabwe earlier this month, could be given his first cap against senior opponents.

South Africa (from) 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Jacques Kallis, 3 AB de Villiers, 4 JP Duminy, 5 Mark Boucher (wk), 6 Albie Morkel, 7 Ryan McLaren, 8 Roelof van der Merwe, 9 Lonwabo Tsotsobe, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Charl Langeveldt, 12 Alviro Peterson.

England fielded their only 11 fit players in the warm-up at Potchefstroom on Tuesday, and the extent of their concerns has been highlighted by the addition of two players to their squad - the paceman, Liam Plunkett, and the spinner, James Tredwell. Strauss's return will provide some timely solidity, while Alastair Cook's back problems could allow Joe Denly another chance at the top of the order. Paul Collingwood hopes to be fit to break Alec Stewart's England record of 170 ODI caps.

England (possible) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Joe Denly, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Eoin Morgan, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Luke Wright, 9 Tim Bresnan, 10 Sajid Mahmood, 11 James Anderson

South Africa's strategists have been trying their damnedest to get a rise out of Andrew Strauss, but to no avail. England's Captain Cool opted to keep a low profile during the Twenty20 series, but showed he was unaffected by his break from the action by contributing a vital half-century to the Potchefstroom run-chase. And no amount of jibes about his form, sportsmanship or the make-up of his side look likely to upset his equilibrium. At least, that's what England dearly hope, at any rate. As has been proven throughout an eventful year, Strauss's solidity is vital to their team dynamic.

Jacques Kallis has been around, it would seem, since the dawn of time. He is about to embark on his fourth home series against England, having made his debut during Mike Atherton's tour of 1995-96, but his promotion to opener shows how little he has wearied in that time. The advent of 20-over cricket has given his game a new lease of life, and persuaded him to break out of his often safety-first mindset, and unfurl the range of strokes for which he is renowned. Can he transfer that aggression to a full 50-over innings, or will he opt to drop anchor instead?

"I thought during the Twenty20 we were a little too friendly. There was 'Hello Trotty' and 'How are you, Trotty?'. I saw one of our quick bowlers having lunch with him a couple of days before a game."
Mickey Arthur says there will be no breaking of bread between the teams in this series

"It's a bit of a surprise that I've got to so many, but hopefully I can keep going for some time yet."
The ever-modest Paul Collingwood can't quite believe he's about to become England's most-capped ODI player.