Following England’s 2005 Ashes victory, there was a sense of after the Lord Mayor’s show during the subsequent tour of Pakistan. They lost the three-match Test series 2-0, with a sequence of abject performances that reached a nadir in the third Test when the tourists lost by an innings. Andrew Strauss, England’s captain, knows it is imperative that England’s first series since this year’s victory over Australia does not follow the same pattern. Although, as he acknowledges, the avoidance of defeat in South Africa will be an onerous task: “We will have to play better than we have played in my time as an England player.”
The England dressing room has realised that this is a more arduous examination of their talents than in the Australia series. Stuart Broad, speaking about the the squad’s mood after the giddy rush of Ashes victory had faded, said: “We were thinking, ‘Wow, imagine what it would be like to beat Australia over there – or to follow this with victory in South Africa”. The all-rounder’s words betray the growing suspicion that the Proteas have surpassed Australia as the world’s top Test nation.
Number One
South Africa indisputably possess the planet’s most fearsome bowling attack, which contains three of the top seven bowlers in the ICC player rankings (including the list’s number one, Dale Steyn). Duncan Fletcher, the former England coach now working as a consultant for South Africa, claims that his present employers have the more effective bowling unit: “Their [South Africa’s] bowling attack has a better balance to it than England’s. They have covered their bases better than England, who are obviously relying on getting the ball to swing. That’s a gamble in South Africa, and they could end up chasing a lot of leather.” Given the capricious nature of swing, it is possible that the ball will not move much in the air, making Strauss’s task as captain unenviable. He does not have the bowlers to go to the plan B needed on South African tracks.
The Proteas’ last home Test series, a 2-1 loss to Australia earlier this year, took place on spicy pitches offering sharp bounce and good carry. The home side are perfectly equipped to exploit these conditions with three bowlers – Steyn, Makahya Ntini (who has 68 English wickets to his name) and Albie Morkel – capable of bowling in excess of 90mph and extracting dangerous bounce from a pitch. England are comparatively inadequate in this department, prompting South Africa coach Micky Arthur to declare his players’ relief on learning of Steve Harmison’s omission from the touring squad: “A few of our batters will have seen that tour party and been happy [Harmison]’s not on the plane.” Although the Durham quick has lost delivery pace since his halcyon days in 2003-5, his height and bowling action still gets the ball to rise awkwardly after pitching. This is an attribute that could be sorely missed.
Concern
Of greater immediate concern to Strauss will be the fitness of his bowlers. James Anderson is suffering with a sore right knee, Stuart Broad will not bowl again until next week and Graham Onions is yet to bowl a ball on tour. All are expected to be fit by the time the Test series begins, but without rhythm or familiarity with conditions they cannot be expected to be in peak form for the One Day Internationals. Morale will inevitably be damaged for the Tests if performances in the preceding ODIs are poor.
The dynamic of the dressing room, and thus team morale, will also be affected by the loss of Andrew Flintoff and the return of Kevin Pietersen, who has been absent since surgery on his right achilles in July. Pietersen’s dominant personality and fractious nature, sure to be exacerbated by the fact he is back in the traditionally inimical atmosphere of his homeland, may damage the atmosphere of a contented dressing room that won the Ashes in his absence. Strauss will need to be at his most diplomatic. The England captain will also have concerns about how quickly Pietersen can rediscover his best form – by his own admission, KP is not in great physical shape: “I had lost a lot of fitness sitting on my couch for a couple of months.”
The opposite number
In control of the opposing dressing room is the South African captain Graeme Smith. His phenomenal record against England (an average of 56 with a top score of 277) makes his early dismissal crucial. Smith can look unconvincing when first entering the crease, offering opportunities for dismissal to an opposing captain. The pressure will be on Strauss on to take any chance of a wicket that is offered, as the opener’s mental resilience usually sees him overcome any inauspicious start to an innings.
All these concerns will be on Strauss’ mind before he even begins to contemplate his own batting. There can be no doubt that this away trip to the country top of the ICC rankings is his most testing as captain, and he faces up to the series with less than ideal circumstances. Just as he says England must play better than in his time as England player, so too his captaincy must exceed previous levels. Good luck, Andrew...